


Yu-Gi-Oh! GX - The War of Shadows

by Sebaren



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: 12-year-old child forced to save the world using a children's card game, Angst, Fighting a race from another dimension, Gen, Herald of the Gentle Darkness, Judai reincarnates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2020-01-13 14:10:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 24,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18470551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sebaren/pseuds/Sebaren
Summary: Moriya Takeo was born in unusual circumstances. Right from the get-go, he's been able to see spirits, including one spirit who claims to be him from a past life who, if Takeo is honest, he would rather live without. Raised by his widowed father, a fanatical follower of everything the deceased Herald of Darkness stood for, Takeo's unique ability to see Duel Spirits has not gone unnoticed, and his life may as well have been laid out for him. He will take over his father's shrine to the Herald. That is certain.If only life was so simple, though. Right from the beginning, just from having his past life be there, he knew that trouble would brew, and it would do so early. Judai said as much, and he was right. Faced with the last of the Sensonian race, a powerful, warmongering race from another dimension, Takeo is forced to take up the mantle of Herald, but this is the furthest thing from what he wants. Together with his friends, both from his current and past lives, Takeo unwillingly sets out to do his duty as the Herald, to stop the Sensonians from finishing what they started--destroying Earth and absorbing the souls of every living creature on the planet.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for coming to give this story a chance. I'd like to thank DarkMaster1117 for giving me his opinion on this story before I wrote it. It's always helpful to have people give me their opinions so that I can better myself. Finally, I'd like to thank all of you who have come to read this story. I feel really good about this plot, and you have no idea how much people like you mean to me. I hope this story lives up to your expectations, and I hope that, even with my lack of skills, I can fulfil the potential that this story has.

I can't describe how I felt at that moment. I was as though I was tired, wet and cold one moment, and then, suddenly…

_Nothing._

That's what it was. Nothing.

It was like I was surrounded in a sort of calming darkness, and then all sensation disappeared, draining from my body and seeping into the darkness around me, never to return—the darkness that failed ever so much to soothe me as thoughts rushed through my head.

Who was I? Where did all of the sensation that I previously had go? Why didn't I feel human, as I thought I ought to?

Suddenly, I remembered as though the information was easily trickling back into my mind with little to no effort, and the answers suddenly seemed so simple, and yet so complicated all at the same time. I was human and I wasn't. I was mortal and I wasn't. I had felt this lack of sensation what felt like a million times before, and yet, the most important thing seemed to elude me. Once again, I was brought back to the exact same question, and the answers that had come to me so simply only served to make me ask more questions, and it didn't help that the trickle of information seemed to have slowed to a stop.

If I'm not human, and I'm not inhuman, what am I? If I'm mortal, and I'm not immortal, what am I?

_Who am I?_

The trickle didn't restart. I was left with no further answers as, all of a sudden, my surroundings warped and a blinding white light flooded in, yet I was not dazzled, and I felt no need to shield my eyes from it, although it was still marginally more unsettling than the darkness that I had been floating in, free to think my own thoughts without disruption.

My surroundings seemed to warp and, as opposed to the darkness where I could not tell whether I was facing up or down, I found myself standing in a large room with a blue-tiled floor, cream walls, and metal tables and shelves covered with medical apparatus, sunlight seeping through the windows.

A new sound assaulted my ears where there was none before. It was one that I recognised, and yet it caused a strange emotion to blossom within me—one that I could not yet place for reasons that I couldn't understand. Nevertheless, I turned, feeling compelled to do so, and what I saw should have been familiar, but yet it was something that I felt oddly detached from.

A woman in a green hospital gown lay in a bed with blue sheets, the metal sides of the bed pulled up. Her long brown hair was soaked with what I believed to be sweat, and her brown eyes seemed to twinkle with delight. A tall man with black hair stood over her, wearing a brown jacket, a black shirt, blue jeans and a pair of fancy black shoes. His grey eyes, shimmering with joy and unshed tears, were looking down at the same thing that the woman was staring at—a small bundle that she held carefully in her arms.

As the woman smiled down at the bundle, wrapping the blue blankets around it further, I found myself able to place the sound. It was the crying of a baby, and it felt odd that I hadn't realised it sooner. Placing the thought aside, I decided that my own predicament was far more important.

"Um… Excuse me… Can you tell me where I am…?" I asked uncertainly, knowing that such a question would no doubt be seen as unusual. What I didn't expect, though, was that neither the man, nor the woman, would react. "Excuse me!" I repeated louder, encountering the same problem. Nobody looked at me.

I walked up to the couple and attempted to place a hand on the woman's shoulder in the hopes that I would get her attention, only to get a shock as my hand seemed to phase right through her body. She shuddered, pulling the blankets even closer around the baby in her arms.

"It's getting chilly, Yoshiro…" she muttered in confusion before looking up at the man. "Is a window open?"

"Chilly? I think it's fine, Harumi." The man—Yoshiro—looked around him. "No. The window is closed. Maybe you're just tired."

"Perhaps…" Harumi trailed off again as I finally pulled my hand back, the woman shuddering once more.

I inspected my hand for the first time, noticing how translucent it appeared. I looked down at the rest of my body, noting my black shirt, red jacket with white trimming grey jeans, and black and red shoes, all of which also took on a translucent appearance. I placed a hand on my own chest, watching how it didn't pass through, yet how I also felt no sensation.

Was I dead? Was I never alive to begin with? Was this all a dream?

No answers, yet again. The baby cried harder and Harumi attempted to rock it to sleep, but she seemed to be unable to do so, opting instead to utter sweet nothings which didn't help any more than her rocking did.

"Takeo," she suddenly said, sounding confident, her smile widening.

"Hm?" the man responded having been distracted by the wailing child.

"Takeo. Moriya Takeo. We should call him that." Harumi grinned, no doubt pleased with herself.

"Takeo…" Yoshiro paused to consider it before breaking into a large smile. "It's a good name. You're always good with this kind of thing, Harumi."

The woman let out a sunny giggle before looking back down at the little boy. I found myself making my way over to the other side of the bed to stand beside Yoshiro and get a good look at the child, floating more than walking as I did so.

"Takeo… huh…?" I muttered absently.

The crying stopped. I blinked in confusion. While part of me thought that it was impossible, another part of me thought that I had been the one to stop the crying. I leaned over the child for a better look, noting his chubby red cheeks, tiny hands, and the tuft of brown hair on his head. I cocked my head slightly, trying to figure out what had happened and was compelling me to come closer to this child.

"Takeo?" I repeated, watching as the child, still blind and with his little eyes closed, seemed to turn his head in my direction, almost as if he was searching for my voice. I found myself smiling and repeating his name, the child letting out a quiet gurgle of contentment.

He could  _hear_  me.

I paused, and in the absence of my voice, little Takeo began to cry once more. In that moment, something seemed to echo throughout my head, like a distant memory that was racing to the forefront, and very soon, I remembered, and everything seemed so  _obvious_.

"Takeo... I am neither human, nor inhuman. I'm neither mortal, nor immortal. I have made many mistakes in my life, but I know who I am, who you are, and what my purpose is, and I will not let this purpose become one of my many mistakes. I, Yuki Judai, the former Herald of the Gentle Darkness, will take on the role of your guardian, as did your predecessors before you. I'm going to protect you with every fibre of my being. You will not be another one of my mistakes. I give you my word."

* * *

I became very biased towards this new little Herald. That's something I've never been afraid to admit, not that there was anyone to admit it to. I was there when he crawled and walked for the first time. I was there when he said 'Tou-tan' for the first time. I was there when he first learned to Duel. Every time I thought I'd never feel prouder, he did something new and I found myself loving him even more.

He learned to talk in what seemed like an incredibly short about of time to both myself and his parents, and I soon became what appeared to them to be an imaginary friend of sorts. Naturally, they thought it was cute and thought nothing of it, especially because he'd given me a false name like I'd asked him to. I couldn't have the world find out that Yuki Judai was hovering around a little boy. I wasn't certain whether anyone was targeting him or not, which brought me back to my predicament. The one where I shouldn't have been there.

Simply put, the new Herald, upon needing them, gained the previous Herald as a sort of spectral guardian. We could not touch, but we could guide, and some did it through more questionable methods than others did, like my own guardian. Until we were needed, we slept in that dark place I'd visited just before I was pulled back out into the open, which is a space in the corner of the Herald's mind.

Nevertheless, what was happening had never happened before. The previous Herald had never manifested this early. We have never made the decision to appear. The universe, or some higher power, makes that decision. Takeo must have needed me as soon as possible, and although nothing seemed out of the ordinary, it was always there in the back of my mind. Forever without answers, I could only wonder why…

It was a dull and dreary day that Takeo and I had never forgot as Takeo sat in front of that pale brown coffin in that small room with grey walls, a wooden flood, blue cushions to sit on, and no furnishings to speak of. I could already see him withdrawing into himself, and I could only wonder...

_Why?_

_Why_  did this have to happen?

"Takeo..." I muttered sadly, taking in the sight of the small boy who looked identical to me as he sat before me wearing his little black suit.

"Why did she die…?" Takeo mumbled quietly, almost in disbelief.

"These things happen, Takeo…" I responded, trying to keep my voice quiet and calm.

"Why did she have to die instead of me...?" he asked, his voice becoming even quieter.

I frowned in concern. "It doesn't work like that, Takeo. Your mother wouldn't have wanted you to die in her place."

" _I don't care!_ " Takeo suddenly yelled, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. I could see the boy's checks begin to burn with embarrassment before subsiding after a few seconds as the hushed murmurs died down.

"Takeo..." I began, almost afraid to speak again, yet feeling as though I had to, before settling on a stern, "Please try not to be disrespectful. They're all here to pay respects to-"

"Shut up, old man..."

* * *

It was dark and Takeo had already gone to bed. The little boy had grown up to be a healthy 12 year old. As I watched over him, I began to find myself missing Yubel more than ever, and that hole that she had once filled was eating away at the back of my mind more than I ever cared to think was possible. More than that, though, I felt alone and useless without her.

Takeo was suffering and I could do nothing about it. Yubel might have known what to say or do, but I didn't, and as a result, I'd watched him suffer for 7 years. All I wanted was to make it stop, and yet I  _couldn't_ , and that made me  _useless_.

I reached out and placed a hand on Takeo's head, thankful that I could at least touch him, even if I couldn't feel him. I paused. Could I say something? Should I say something? Was there anything to say? Would I say the wrong thing like I always did? The silence dragged on and on until I could take it no more, and I began to speak some very familiar words that I hadn't thought much about in 12 years.

"Takeo... I am neither human, nor inhuman. I'm neither mortal, nor immortal. I have made many mistakes in my life, but I know who I am, who you are, and what my purpose is, and I will not let this purpose become one of my many mistakes. I, Yuki Judai, the former Herald of the Gentle Darkness, have long since taken on the role of your guardian, as did your predecessors before you. I'm going to protect you with every fibre of my being. You will not be another one of my mistakes. I give you my word."


	2. Chapter 1

**(Judai's P.O.V.)**

"Takeo. Wake up."

Takeo let out a lazy grumble from his wooden bed and rolled onto his back, his shoulder-length hair—which I personally still think needs a good cutting—falling over his face. The top of his blue pyjamas had been pulled up as he rolled around while he slept, exposing his stomach to the air, his green bed sheets offering no protection as he'd kicked them off during the night. His hand had knocked over the wooden lamp with a yellow lampshade on his bedside drawers, the bulb thankfully still intact, and his window lay open, a cold breeze causing the thin white curtains to flutter. After all those years, I wasn't surprised by any of this.

"You're going to be late, Takeo," I told him with what I hoped was a stern tone of voice as I made my way over to him.

This time, he shot up, still half asleep, and looked around him in a dazed manner, almost as if he had no idea where he was. I sat down on his bed and slid my face into view, the boy taking a few seconds to notice that I was there. He frowned.

"What is it, old man…?" he muttered, letting out a yawn, his tone one of annoyance.

"The time, Takeo. You're going to be late," I slowly repeated, waiting for the realisation to sink in.

Takeo stared at me for a few moments, almost as if he was trying to figure out exactly what I was trying to tell him. Then, his eyes seemed to widen, and it was all I could do to stop myself from grinning stupidly at the expression of shock that had made its way across his face for the millionth time during his 12 years of life. Without another word, he kicked the bed sheets off his feet and bolted, tripping over the wooden desk on the other side of his room, knocking his small blue desk lamp over before falling to the cream carpet, unable to put a hand on the cream wall to support himself and almost hitting his head on his tall wooden wardrobe as he did so.

"Are you all right?!" I asked worriedly, hastily floating over to his side as he scrambled to his feet and rushed out the door, ignoring me entirely. I don't think I've ever missed the ability to sigh more than I did at that moment.

A yip and the sound of clattering bones drew my gaze to the floor where a small skeletal dog stood, the little Duel Spirit happily wagging its bony tail. I gave it an exasperated smile as it looked up into my face, its body clicking as it sat down on the floor, its tail still ceaselessly wagging.

"He's a disaster, eh, Maron?" I let out a chuckle as the Duel Spirit, the Gentle Darkness leaking from its body, cocked its head and let out a confused whine, causing the brown bone on its black leather collar to hang at an awkward angle, the dirty metal 'M' that was set into the bone glinting in the light as the dog started to pant…somehow…

The next 30 minutes were filled with the usual rush to get dressed and get out of the house, this time, without his breakfast. The streets and buildings raced as he charged onwards, and I found myself throwing lighthearted insults at him with the hope of motivating him to speed up. Finally, we arrived in front of the large, white three story Duel Academia building in the city of Yuugure that I couldn't help but feel was nothing like my old school.

* * *

 

**(Takeo's P.O.V.)**

How I managed to get to Duel Academia that day, I'll never understand, but my panic apparently hadn't stopped the old man from joking about my predicament the whole way there, only stopping to grin in satisfaction when I finally got there minutes before the bell rang, sweating profusely and panting heavily.

"Well? Did my motivating help?" he inquired mischievously as I struggled to catch my breath.

"You…call that…motivation…?!" I asked exasperatedly, aiming a glare at him.

"Yeah. You yell insults and the person works harder to prove you wrong. Yubel always did that with me. Is that not how it works?" he responded with a knowing smile that only served to rub me up the wrong way. What really bothered me the most, though, was that aside from suggesting that this 'Yubel's' actions were simply abuse, which would no doubt just make him angry and trigger another one of his lectures, I couldn't come up with a response, no matter how hard I thought about it. He was right, in a very annoying way.

Instead, I mumbled something unintelligible, hoping that he'd think that I said something intelligent. He simply chuckled and gestured towards the corridor with a wink, his smile extending into a grin as I finally caught my breath and stood up, straightening my red jacket and making sure that my blue jeans and black shoes were all in order, giving him a confused glare as I did so.

"Now, now, young Herald. Class awaits, although I don't know why you go in the first place. You just daydream your way through it."

"If I show up on time, it means I don't get punished. Teachers can't punish you for getting bad grades," I smirked triumphantly, standing up straight.

"They can, actually," the old man slowly responded, as though he was unsure. Then, he crossed his arms and frowned as though he was deep in thought. "Well, mine did, at the very least."

"Yeah, well, we're not living in the last century anymore. They can shout and scream all they want, but they can't punish us now." Walking past the spirit beside me, I headed down the hallway to class, intent on getting there before the bell rang. Judai floated in front of me and frowned down at me.

"That's not fair on your teachers. They do your best to get you good grades. You're letting them down," he scolded, serious for once.

I glanced up at him and looked away. "Why should I care? You seem to have some big plan for me. Why would I need good grades?"

The old man stopped. I did, too. His frown deepened. "All I'm here to do is train you and make sure you don't get killed. You'll still need a job. How do you plan to support yourself? The government isn't necessarily going to give you a job like they did with me."

I scoffed. "I'll just become the King of Duelists, then. There's no need for grades in that job."

I stepped past the old man and continued on down the hall, somehow managing to stop myself from shivering as I came into close proximity with him, my shoulder brushing his as I hurried on. When he said nothing more, I considered whether or not I had won our little argument, but I knew better to assume that someone like me could stand against his almost otherworldly knowledge. He'd simply let it go to avoid an argument. I knew that much, and that was what bothered me the most.

I just had to let it go, too.

* * *

 

**15 minutes later.**

**Location: Classroom.**

I glanced at the empty seat beside me as I sat in the small classroom, the sun shining in from the windows to my left, illuminating the cream walls, wooden flooring, and heavy blue curtains, which had been drawn back. The class consisted of six rows of five students, all of whom sat at wooden desks. A large whiteboard covered the front wall, the bottom of a screen that could drop down barely visible in the ceiling, and metal cabinets and shelves lay up against the walls in places. At the front on a raised piece of flooring—almost like a low stage—was a wooden podium where our teacher stood, a whiteboard marker in his hand.

Our English teacher—an Englishman named Stuart Moffat—was a small brown-haired man with brown eyes and glasses with thin black rims. When I first saw his child-like face, I honestly thought that he was a student, but when he said otherwise, the tweed waistcoat and red bow tie suddenly made sense, and I wasn't nearly as shocked as I probably should have been. Strangely enough, I'd never seen him in anything else, like he only had one item of clothing.

Mr. Moffat adjusted the collar of his white dress shirt, his fancy blue trousers making a shuffling sound as his shiny black dress shoes squeaked on the floor. His eyes looked up from the brown book in his hand and scanned the room as he began the process of picking a victim to answer his question. He didn't get any further, however, as the sliding door slammed open.

"Sorry I'm late, Stuart!" a male voice called jovially. There was no sound of a door sliding shut as the owner of the voice no doubt sauntered his way across the classroom before sliding into the seat next to me with a satisfied sigh.

"That's  _Mr. Moffat_ , Kou," Mr. Moffat muttered, his cheeks burning red with indignation.

I almost cringed as I heard him inserting English into Japanese, momentarily forgetting the new arrival beside me. Word around the school was that he had just never learned the honorifics and started to insert English into sentences in the hopes that students would think it was part of the lesson, and he just seemed to have given up on referring to his students properly. Never once had he referred to us by surname. I often wondered if this was how teachers spoke to their students in America, or if he just didn't care about etiquette.

"Sorry,  _Mr. Moffat_ ," the boy beside me corrected himself sarcastically as I turned towards him. Sasaki Kou was around the same height as I was, and he wore the same red uniform that I did. His blond hair lay messily over his head and his blue eyes twinkled with mirth.

"That's enough of that, Kou," Mr. Moffat snapped, obviously trying very hard not to glare if the stern expression on his face and his twitching eyebrows told me anything.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Stand in the hallway. I'm going." Kou gave a chuckle and, standing up, walked straight back out of the classroom, slamming the door shut behind him, much to the shock of our poor stunned teacher who had to take a few moments before turning back to the lesson with a shaky voice.

"R-right. Where were we…?"

Roughly 10 minutes later, I found myself as one of the last of the students to leave the classroom, as usual. I was in no rush. Kou wasn't going anywhere. When I eventually laid eyes on him, I knew I was right. He was definitely going nowhere, because he was lying on the ground, using his black bag as a pillow, snoring loudly, oblivious to the giggles and insults of other students as they passed him by. I walked up to him, gripping the strap of my blue bag, which hung over my shoulder, with one hand. I nudged him with my foot.

"Oi. If you don't wake up, you'll be late for class," I muttered, knowing full well that I may as well have been talking to a brick wall. The snoring stopped and Kou grinned, although his eyes didn't open.

"I don't know why you care, Takeo," Kou responded, his grin seeming to widen with every second.

My gentle nudging quickly developed into one swift kick to Kou's side. The blond boy yelped and sat straight up, rubbing the spot where I had kicked him. He shot a glare in my direction and stood up, scowling with indignation. He took a step forwards and shook a fist in my face.

"What was that for?!" Kou snapped, shoving his face as close to mine as he possibly could, our noses almost touching.

"You're going to be late," I repeated bluntly, glaring back. " _We're_  going to be late."

"Again, I don't know why you care!" he responded, stepping back to pick his bag up.

"It'll stop you from getting detention. You'll get out of here a lot faster today," I reasoned, turning around and breaking into a jog with the intent to catch up with the other students. There was silence behind me for a few moments as Kou seemed to contemplate my words, and then I heard him snatch his bag up from the floor, followed by his quick footsteps as he tried to catch up with me.

"Only so I can go home faster, you hear?!" Kou told me in the gruffest, most annoyed-sounding voice he could manage as he came up alongside me and matched my pace, a childish pout present on his face.

The next class wasn't much better, unfortunately. Within the first five minutes, our history teacher—a well-dressed Japanese man by the name of Hisakawa-sensei—was already screaming at Kou for taking his lunch out of his bag and eating it in class, and once again, he'd been sent to the hallway, only this time for eating in class as well as his usual backchat. When the bell rang, I once again found myself in the hallway, delivering another swift kick to Kou's side to rouse him, but when he ignored me this time, I made the decision to ignore him, and it was lunchtime before I saw him again.

"I'm so hungry..." Kou moaned as he joined me on the roof where I had been eating my bentō.

"Why do I hang out with you, again?" I asked with a frustrated sigh as he threw his bag down, sat down next to me, and dug his hand into my box before stuffing whatever he'd pulled out in his mouth.

"It's 'cause you love me!" he responded with a grin through a mouthful of my rice.

I frowned, ready to retort when the roof door opened and a familiar female voice spoke. "Are you stealing food from him again, Kou? That's not fair. What will you do if Takeo doesn't eat enough and collapses or something?"

"Come on, Harumi!" Kou happily responded, a blush spreading across his cheeks as he watched the newcomer make her way across the roof and sit down next to me, Kou still sitting on the opposite side of me. "That kind of thing only happens in anime!"

Igarashi Harumi—a Ra Yellow—was another one of my friends whom I had known since childhood, having gone to the same school as her, just like I did with Kou. She was the sort of girl who was shy around other people, but never around us, and her appearance reflected that with her long brown hair tightly tied into neat braids. Brown eyes never failed to sparkle behind her thick glasses with round black rims, necessary to correct her horrible eyesight, and she seemed to take great pride in the fact that she'd never once worn makeup, her uncovered freckles standing out well on her pale skin as a result.

Just like the other Ra Yellow students, she wore a dull yellow blazer with white trimming, the school's logo emblazoned on the breast pocket, and a skirt of a similar style that reached just above her knees—far lower than most girls in the school. Sensible black buckled shoes covered her long white socks with a yellow line around the top which reached up to just below her knees, adding to her modest appearance. All in all, she was a pretty girl, but having feelings for her was never something I wished for, nor even really considered. I was happy being friends, as we were. It was Kou who appeared to be smitten with her as opposed to myself.

"It doesn't only happen in anime, Kou," Harumi responded with an exaggerated sigh. "I suppose I'll just have to bring another bentō box if you keep doing this."

Kou looked like he'd been shot in the heart with one of Cupid's arrows and began to squirm and swoon next to me, and I couldn't help but recoil somewhat, grimacing with discomfort. "Oh, Harumi... You don't need to go out of your way for little old–" Kou was rapidly cut off by Harumi's disgruntled voice.

"For you? What did you do to deserve it? It's Takeo who needs more lunch, no thanks to you," she retorted, holding out her own black bentō box towards me allowing me to take some food, which I refused with an embarrassed shake of my head as I felt Kou seemingly deflate next to me. She frowned. "You don't need to get so embarrassed. At least take a Tako-san or two," she told me, gesturing to her octopus-shaped sausages.

"Aren't they your favourite...?" I asked with a nervous chuckle, slowly pushing the box back towards her.

"Takeo, they're  _everyone's_  favourite," Harumi responded with another exaggerated sigh and a shake of her head. "If you won't take any, though, I suppose I have no choice..." She picked up one of her aforementioned Tako-san with her chopsticks and placed it in her mouth before chewing thoughtfully for a moment. Then, she turned back to face the both of us.

"How are your grades?" she asked curiously, and my heart sank into my stomach.

"It's the same old story for me," Kou told her with a stretch, grunting as he did so, before nonchalantly sinking back into his seat.

She then turned her gaze exclusively to me, and I found myself shrinking under it, mumbling something unintelligible that I hoped sounded at least somewhat intelligent. "It's nothing important... I don't care, and you shouldn't care, either," I eventually told her, my voice intentionally monotonous to hide my nerves as I attempted to look away from her with an emotionless expression, but I found that my eyes were still being drawn back to her face which was rapidly reddening in anger and disappointment.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked, her voice deceptively calm. "You two are barely hanging on by a thread as it is. If it wasn't for your Dueling skills, the Duel Academia would have dropped you both by now."

"I'll take that as a compliment," I told her, forcing any sign of nerves down into myself and taking a bite of what little rice I had left. "Dueling skills are all I need."

"Not if it gets you kicked out," Harumi reminded me, her voice tense as though she was trying not to let her anger show.

By this point, I had already had enough. Seeing the inevitable argument coming once again, and suddenly feeling very uncomfortable, I decided to leave. Fighting down my feelings of hunger, I placed the lid back on my bentō box and stood up, watching the expressions of confusion on my friends' faces out of the corners of my eyes as I tossed my box into my bag and threw it over my shoulder before turning towards them slightly.

"I'm going to the toilet," I lied, forcing any annoyance out of my voice until it was almost unreadable and monotonous. Harumi frowned and opened her mouth again, no doubt to tell me off about something else. Before she could say anything, I turned away, feeling awkward, and hurried across the roof, opening the door and descending the staircase as her distant, unintelligible voice echoed behind me.

It was only when we reached the floor below that the old man reappeared and decided to speak. "You OK?" he asked, his tone filled with concern as he floated alongside me.

"I don't get it," I immediately responded, sounding irritable. The old man raised an eyebrow, and I elaborated. "I get told off by my teachers. I get told off at home. I get told off by you. What makes her think that I want to be told off by her, too? Can't people just leave me alone?"

"She's just worried, Takeo, as we all are... None of us want you to lose your place here..." the old man reasoned, his worried frown deepening.

I already knew that much. I didn't need him telling me what I already knew. I just wanted a bit of peace. Just as I was about to request said peace, the old man let out a slow sigh. "I'm sorry, Takeo. I never seem to know what to say to you," he slowly admitted, turning his head away slightly. "It's at times like this that I wish that Yubel was here."

"Who exactly is Yubel, anyway?" I asked curiously, hoping for more of an answer than I got the last time, shoving all thoughts of the argument that had almost happened out of my mind.

"Didn't I already tell you about that?" the old man asked thoughtfully, raising a hand to his chin. "I'm sure I did at some point..."

"You said something vague about a close friend and her being a Duel Spirit, but I still don't get it. If she's so important, and if she's actually a part of me, why isn't she here, and why do I feel like nothing's missing?" I responded, raising an eyebrow with intrigue.

The old man let out a relieved sigh. "Well, at least I remembered to tell you," he muttered with a chuckle. "You don't notice anything missing because you aren't old enough, and your powers haven't matured enough. You can't feel your own soul, let alone hers."

"When I'm older, we're going to find her, right?" I inquired as I turned down another hallway, my footsteps echoing on the grey stone floors and reverberating off the cream walls that were adorned with noticeboards at frequent intervals. "Will she even be able to see you? Maron and I are the only ones who can see you, aren't we?

"Hmm..." the old man hummed thoughtfully in response, looking up at the ceiling as though he would find the answer written there. "That's a good question, Takeo. Maron can see me because the Gentle Darkness is the force that keeps him here. A past incarnation of us took pity on him as he waited in vain for his master and imbued him with a whisp of our Darkness so that he could find happiness with a new family someday. That's not the case for Yubel. I don't have access to her memories, and she never seemed to speak to Martin. I suppose we'll have to find out."

"Martin was your predecessor, right?" I asked unsurely, looking up at him with an expectant gaze.

"You remember well," the old man complimented with a smile. "Yes, he was. He made a lot of mistakes with me that I'm determined not to repeat with you, but he really started to make up for it close to the end."

"He was a spirit like you, right? It's not like he could have done any physical damage, so what kind of mistakes could he possibly have made?" I asked in confusion, a frown making its way onto my face.

"Oh... It was the 'possessing my body, enslaving an entire dimension, and murdering hundreds of its inhabitants in order to protect me, forcing me to wallow in my own self-pity because the mental torment after having seen my friends seemingly die as a result of my own actions was apparently preferable to harm coming to me' kind of mistake," he said nonchalantly. Upon taking in my dumbstruck expression, he added, "Yeah... It was actually worse than it sounds, if you can believe that..."

"If you ever do that to me, I'm never talking to you again," I threatened, using an insult that would be mundane for the average individual, but horrifying for a person who had nobody else to talk to, like the old man. He grinned sheepishly in response.

"Don't worry about it. I wouldn't do something like that after having experienced it myself. We Heralds have never been overly bright by choice, but I'm not that bad," he told me with a nervous laugh.

I opened my mouth to respond with something that was no doubt witty and profound when a young, panicked voice that was coming from around the corner caught our attention, and I found myself picking up the pace as I approached the corner of the hallway.

"T-they're not anything that you'd want to use, Hanazawa..." a frightened male voice squeaked from around the bend. An older female voice seemed to scoff at the notion.

"That's _Miss_ to you, and I don't care," she responded angrily, and there was a dull thudding sound, like something hitting the wall. "Show them to me.  _Now._ "

"A-a-all right! H-here!" the voice squeaked again, and there was silence until I turned the corner.

Down the hallway from me, I saw a small boy, likely in the year below me, up against the left-hand wall, cowering in terror. He was, as I said, very small, with messy light brown hair and dark brown eyes. He wore the uniform of an Obelisk Blue student—a dull blue jacket with white trimming, and grey trousers along with a pair of white and green trainers that seemed to be almost too big for him, just like the rest of his uniform.

An older girl, who seemed to be a year or so older than me, towered over the boy, her hand holding him against the wall as she browsed a Deck of cards with her other hand. She was a tall beach blonde girl with a deep tan that may or may not have been authentic. Like the boy, she also wore the Obelisk uniform, although her jacket was was accompanied by a blue miniskirt, neat black laced shoes, and white socks with a blue line around the top of them. As I came closer to the scene, I noticed the small red heart-shaped earrings that she wore, and the standard Obelisk Blue Duel Disk with blue edges was attached to her arm. She let out a hum of distaste before throwing the cards to the floor, removing her hand from the boy's chest as she did so.

"Absolutely worthless," she decided aloud as she began to turn away, allowing the boy to scramble for the cards on the floor.

"Oi," I called out as I approached them. "No littering in the hallways. Pick those up," I told the girl with a frown. The girl let out a gasp as though she had been offended and whirled around to look me in the eye with her own bright blue eyes. Now that she'd turned towards me, I found myself recognising her. "Oh. Hanazawa Asami. Is your little crew not with you today?" I taunted, watching as she narrowed her eyes and placed her hands on her hips.

"Do I know you, kid?" she asked, though it sounded more like a demand.

"Probably not," I responded with a smirk. "You really should pick up what you dropped, though. It's not good to litter."

"To be honest, kid, I'd sooner lose a Duel than listen to you," Hanazawa scoffed, crossing her arms and shaking her head with a chuckle.

"I'll take you on if you're game," I offered, reaching down to place my hand on the frantic boy's shoulder as I stopped next to him, hoping that he'd take it as a sign to stop, which he did, thankfully. "Put the cards down. Hanazawa is going to be picking them up, herself."

"B-but..." the boy nervously began, only to be cut off by Hanazawa .

"Not likely. I'll Duel you if that's what it takes to get it through your thick skull, Osiris," she responded with a grunt of displeasure, her eyes finally taking in my uniform.

"OK, then," I stated with a grin, shifting my bag so I could retrieve my Osiris Red Duel Disk with red edges from it. "I'll teach you to drop litter!"

"It's really not litter..." the boy immediately mumbled in response as he stood up and pressed himself against the wall.

I grinned sheepishly at him as I got into position for the Duel. "Yeah. Sorry. It was a bad analogy, wasn't it?"

"The joke is getting old fast, too..." he quietly admitted, fidgeting as he did so.

I paused for a moment as his words sank in and I recalled the entire conversation up to that point, considering how many times I had referenced litter because I'd been unable to think of anything more clever, before responding with a quiet, embarrassed, "OK... I'll stop it, now..."

"Thank goodness! Can we Duel, now?!" Hanazawa shouted from down the hallway where she'd taken her position, her voice filled with sarcasm and annoyance.

Stuck between a bad joke and an angry rich bully, I let out an unconscious sigh as the old man quietly giggled next to me as though he thought I wouldn't hear him. I raised my Duel Disk, and before I could say anything in response, Hanazawa took initiative.

"Duel!" she shouted, drawing a card as I suddenly found myself fumbling to draw my hand.

**(Takeo: 4000 - Asami: 4000)**

"I place a monster face-down, and I'll follow that up with two face-down cards! Your move!" Hanazawa continued with a smirk, the cards all appearing in their respective positions.

**(Takeo: 4000 - Asami: 4000)**

"OK, then! I draw!" I responded, eying her face-down cards.

It had been a long time since I'd seen anyone place a monster face-down, and I couldn't help but find it to be rather unusual, and perhaps slightly daunting. I had no idea what I was getting into if I attacked it, and her face-downs weren't giving me a lot of confidence, either. I just had to be thankful that she likely knew nothing about my Deck, either. After all, she didn't even seem to know who I was. I stared down at the cards in my hand, the undead faces of my monsters staring up at me as I formed a basic strategy. Slowly, I took a card and placed it on my Disk.

"I Summon Master Kyonshī  **(ATK: 1750 DEF: 1000)**  in Attack Position!" I declared as, with a groan, a kyonshī with green skin and long, sharp nails took to the field, entering into a fighting stance as some sort of virtual breeze caused the talisman that covered his face to flutter, the kanji for 'curse' standing out upon it in bright red writing. It wore a purple uniform-like robe with long sleeves and grey fastenings, a pair of off white slip on shoes, and a pair of yellow trousers that appeared to be from a kung fu uniform, and which was tied at the ankles with thin pieces of brown rope. A long black braid hung down from beneath his round purple hat, swaying in the non-existent breeze just like his talisman.

From across the field, I heard Hanazawa make a noise of disgust. "Ugh... Zombies? That's gross..." she commented with a grimace.

"Oh, come on," I responded with a grin. "They're just holograms." As Hanazawa turned up her nose at my monster, I continued. "Master Kyonshī, attack her face-down monster!"

Master Kyonshī let out a grunt of confirmation, and with great power, he leapt into the air before aiming his foot at the face-down monster, bearing down on it with great speed. Before he could strike it, however, one of the face-down cards sprang up.

"I activate my Trap Card, Attack Nullification!" Hanazawa declared as the red-bordered Trap Card sprang up, revealing an image of swirling reds and blues, and three prongs of white light that seemed to erupt from a source of bright light in the centre of the spiralling colours.

Just before Master Kyonshī's foot could connect with the face-down monster, it hit a barrier that shone with swirling colours, knocking my monster back onto my field where he landed without issue and assumed a fighting stance once more. I gritted my teeth, bothered by the missed opportunity, and placed a face-down of my own into my Duel Disk.

"I place one card face-down and end my turn," I told Hanazawa who immediately moved to draw a card, likely not noticing up the hint of annoyance in my voice.

**(Takeo: 4000 - Asami: 4000)**

"I draw!" she announced with confidence as she drew a card, which she quickly placed in her hand. She picked up another card and placed it on her Duel Disk. "I Summon Eria the Water-Spirit Charmer  **(ATK: 500 DEF: 1500)**  in Attack Position!" With Hanazawa's shout, a swirling vortex of water appeared on the field, rapidly disappearing to reveal a girl with long blue hair and eyes of the same colour. A baggy brown cloak partially covered a striped green jumper and a dark blue skirt, and a thick brown leather belt with a fluffy, pale blue accessory of sorts hanging from it was tied around her torso. She held a short hooked staff made of what appeared to be blue crystal in her left hand, the hook forming crystalline leaves and hoops at points as it arced. A teardrop shaped crystal shimmered with a pale blue light beneath the arcing crystal, no doubt the source of the power that kept water surging around her feet, obscuring them from view.

Despite wondering why she would put such a monster in Attack Position, I wasted no time in activating my Trap Card. "I activate Mousetrap!" I declared.

The Trap Card flipped face-up to reveal an image of an orange, pulsating maw with sharp, glinting teeth devouring a bluish-black mouse with a round yellow eye, the monster's long tongue writhing in its mouth like a tentacle as seven real tentacles wriggled in the background like thin worms. "With this card, I can destroy a monster that has been Normal Summoned as long as it has 500 Attack Points or less," I explained as the gaping maw from the card appeared beneath Eria. The girl looked down at the soft tissue that had appeared around her feet and grimaced, apparently sensing no danger. Just as she moved to step off the trap beneath her feet, to her apparent horror, the teeth snapped shut around her torso. The trapped girl let out a scream of terror and pain before breaking apart into shards of light.

Watching as Hanazawa recoiled in horror, even I found myself having to agree that Eria's destruction had been somewhat brutal. Even so, I couldn't stop there as Hanazawa appeared to be choosing not to dwell on the matter. She reached for the face-down monster on her Duel Disk and flipped it face-up.

"I Flip Summon Aussa the Earth-Spirit Charmer  **(ATK: 500 DEF: 1500)**  in Attack Position!" Hanazawa told me, her voice sounding annoyed, yet confident.

I watched as, with an audible rumble of earth, a girl with messy brown hair and brown eyes that peered our from behind large rectangular glasses with black frames appeared on the field. She wore the same green jumper as Eria and a very similar coat, the only difference being the lack of sleeves. She wore a pair of brown fingerless gloves and a pair of blue shorts, and clutched in her hand was a staff. Similar to Eria's staff, it was short, and there was a cluster of shimmering crystals at the top. At the base of the crystals, a material similar to the one her jumper was made out of was wrapped around the staff, tied there by a black cord with a pale pink ball and a tassel at the end. Cracked earth rose up around her feet obscuring them from view.

"Next, I activate Aussa's effect. When she's Flip Summoned, until Aussa leaves the field, I can take control of one EARTH Attribute monster on my opponent's field, such as your Master Kyonshī," Hanazawa explained to my shock and annoyance.

With no other choice, I removed Master Kyonshī from my Disk and tossed the card in her direction. With a smooth catch, she placed my monster on her own Disk, and I watched as my monster disappeared from my field in a swirl of sparkling light and appeared on her side of the field, leaving me wide open. Unconsciously, I found myself crouching slightly, bracing myself for an attack which didn't take long to come.

"Aussa, Kyonshī, attack him directly!" Hanazawa ordered with a smirk. I watched as Kyonshī leapt into the air, and Aussa began to wave her staff. Just as Kyonshī swept his foot to the side, colliding with the side of my head, the ground rumbled once more and holographic rock erupted from the ground, slamming into my stomach and winding me as my Duel Disk attempted to replicate the force and the pain that such an attack would cause to a lesser degree. I found myself sinking to my knees as my Life Points fell drastically, my arms clutching my stomach. I looked up as I heard the boy against the wall let out a gasp and a disappointed grumble just as Hanazawa began to laugh loudly, and I found myself starting to cringe as she somewhat reminded me of nails running down a chalkboard.

"If that's all you have, this Duel will be over sooner than I thought! Nobody's ever beaten the Deck that Daddy bought for me!" Hanazawa claimed as I stood up shakily.

I wasn't one of those people who claimed that a Deck that wasn't made by the Duelist had no soul or anything like that, because many Duelists enjoyed Dueling with unaltered Structure Decks for whatever reason, and loved the cards that they had, and love for their cards was all that was necessary. I had no problems with her using a Deck that someone else had made for her, and it didn't matter how much it cost. However, bragging about a Deck just wasn't something I could get behind in any sense of the word. Pride for one's cards was good, but bragging about them was just demeaning for the opponent, and did t exactly put the bragging Duelist in a good light, either. If I didn't know what sort of person she was before, I knew right then, and I found her to be rather distasteful. Even so, I chose to remain silent, watching as she placed a card into a slot on her Duel Disk.

"I place one card face-down and end my turn," Hanazawa announced as the face-down in question appeared on the field with a flash of light.

**(Takeo: 1750 - Asami: 4000)**

Gritting my teeth, both against the pain and in annoyance, I looked down at my Deck. "My turn. I draw," I stated quietly, concentrating on my cards. Looking at the card that I'd just drawn, I let out a sigh of relief and placed it on my Duel Disk. "I Summon Zombie Master  **(ATK: 1800 DEF: 0)**  in Attack Position!"

With a flash of light, Zombie Master let out a laugh as he walked onto the field, appearing out of thin air. He was a pale, gaunt man with wide eyes, long nails, and a manic grin. His long silver hair fell in dirty clumps over his ragged, dirt-covered cloak. Beneath that was more ragged clothing—a torn brown shirt and reddish-brown trousers. His grin widening as he spotted Master Kyonshī on Hanazawa's field, he fixed his gaze on Aussa and began to tap his shoeless foot impatiently, as though he couldn't wait to destroy her and reclaim Kyonshī.

Again, Hanazawa turned up her nose at my monster. "He's filthy... Are all the monsters you own disgusting...?" she asked incredulously.

I rolled my eyes at her. "He's nice when you get to know him," I responded with an exasperated sigh, watching with mild amusement as Hanazawa began to look at me as though I had just grown another head. Nevertheless, I gestured towards my Zombie Master. "Zombie Master, destroy Aussa and get Kyonshī back!"

At my order, Zombie Master raised his arms into the air, electricity and magic crackling at his fingertips. A strange purple magical aura coated his hands and struck the ground like lightning, causing it to rumble, and before my eyes, the floor began to split open and a skeletal hand emerged, followed by two others and one covered in rotting flesh a few skeletons and a decaying corpse began to pull themselves out of the ground. I heard Hanazawa let out a strangled cry of horror as Zombie Master's undead forces began to amble towards her, and she rapidly pressed a button on her Duel Disk.

"I activate my Trap Card, Emissaries of Reconciliation!" Hanazawa exclaimed, the card in question standing upright to reveal three women in blue cloaks and green robes with bejewelled necklaces and headdresses, all three of them with short brown hair. While the two women in the back stood with their eyes closed, a green-eyed woman at the front held an ornate golden key with a purple jewel in the centre and a pair of bat wings on either side. "With this card, my monsters can't be destroyed by battle and I don't take any battle damage this turn!" she explained as the three women appeared in front of Aussa and began to chant, shielding the cowering girl from the horde of zombies as a barrier appeared in front of them, vaporising each of the zombies as they touched it. Their jobs done, the women faded from the field and the card dissolved into delicate sparkles of light as the Battle Phase ended.

Annoyed at another missed opportunity to inflict damage, I lowered my Duel Disk. "I end my turn," I reluctantly stated.

**(Takeo: 1750 - Asami: 4000)**

"I draw!" Hanazawa began, but instead of playing a card, she instead pressed a button on her Duel Disk, activating yet another Trap Card. "I activate the Continuous Trap Card Unpossessed!"

The card flipped face-up, displaying an image of four monsters. On the bottom left of the card was a leaping red fox with a white underside, its back covered in darker, spikier fur, similar to the colour of its paws, and I immediately recognised it as Inari Fire. To its right was a green bipedal lizard-like creature with a muscular body, yellow eyes, and an underbite known as Jigobyte. Two spikes jutted out from each of its shoulders and a much larger spike protruded from each of its elbows. Its arms were wrapped in pale green cloth, and a long green tail seemed to swish powerfully behind it.

Just above Jigabyte was the smaller and Daemon Eater—a furry, sharp-eyed rodent-like creature with shaggy brown fur, darker brown bat wings, sharp claws, and a long white horn on its forehead. Finally, at the upper left of the card was what appeared to be a more mature version of Petit Dragon. It was a long dragon-like creature with two horns, bright yellow eyes, and ears not unlike that of a dog or cat. The top half of its long body was covered with shaggy green fur, and its underside alternated between bands of green and peach scales, with its lower jaw being a peach colour.

"Now, let's forget that for a moment, shall we?" Hanazawa suggested with a sneer as she took another card from her hand. "I'm going to Release both Aussa and Master Kyonshī to Advance Summon Possession-Equipped Aussa  **(ATK: 1850 DEF: 1500)**  in Attack Position!"

At Hanazawa's command, both my monster and hers exploded into shards of light before reforming into an older version of Aussa. She held the same staff, and despite being much taller, much of her outfit was still the same. The only real difference was her longer coat, which was a paler brown with green lines near the edges of the fabric, and which also had an embroidered white sash attached to it.

"Now that that's done," Hanazawa began with a smirk, "I'm going to battle your Zombie Master!" Before I could relax at the prospect of only taking 50 Points of damage, Hanazawa's smirk widened and she continued. "Next, I activate the effect of Unpossessed. Once per turn, I can increase the Attack Points of one Possession-Equipped monster by 800 during damage calculation!"

I audibly cursed, shivering as I felt the old man cuff me round the ears as punishment. Only seconds later, I caught sight of Aussa waving her staff, and in a similar manner to her previous form, rocks erupted from the ground, striking me in the stomach, but they felt much harder and faster than before, and I found myself being knocked to the ground, coughing as the wind was driven out of me and my Life Points dropped drastically once more.

Hanazawa let out another annoying laugh. "Look at that! You haven't inflicted a single Point of damage on me!"

"No..." I began as I slowly pulled myself to my feet, "but I did scare you half to death at one point, and that was far more fulfilling..." I finished with a smirk, watching as her cheeks went bright red and she began to stammer.

"B-but... I... I..." She finally stopped and gritted her teeth. "Just take your turn, already..."

**(Takeo: 900 - Asami: 4000)**

"All right, then... It's my turn. I draw," I immediately draw a card, desperate to turn the Duel around, and when I drew it, I saw another chance. "I activate the Magic Card Pot of Greed!" I announced as I placed the card on my Duel Disk. The card that appeared had a blue border that was indicative of a Magic Card, and the image showed a green pot with ornate blue and yellow designs and a blue handle. On the front of the pot was a sneering face with red eyes, yellowing teeth, and thick red lips. "With this card, I can draw two extra cards," I explained as I drew two more cards, although I wasn't sure who would need the explanation. I looked carefully at the cards in my hand, hiding a grin as Pot of Greed disappeared from the field in a flash of light, silently thanking it as it did so.

"I'm going to Summon my Pyramid Turtle  **(ATK: 1200 DEF: 1400)**  in Attack Position!" I declared as I placed the card on my Disk. What ambled onto the field can only be described as a tortoise rather than a turtle. It had red eyes, five green claws on each foot, and a massive sand-coloured shell in the shape of a pyramid. It wore a green-coloured false beard, and a headdress which consisted of a golden base, atop which stood an orange orb, surrounded by two green, blue and red pieces that raced around the orb, nearly touching as they drew closer together at the top.

"1200 Attack Points? That thing won't beat Aussa," Hanazawa confidently informed me, not grimacing at the appearance of my monster for the first time during that Duel.

"That's what I'm counting on," I responded with a smirk before gesturing towards Aussa. "Pyramid Turtle, attack Aussa!"

Almost immediately, the orb on Pyramid Turtle's headdress began to glow, and a bright beam of light was suddenly fired from it. Aussa raised her staff in retaliation, the crystals absorbing the light before firing it right back at Pyramid Turtle which was destroyed without a sound from the supposed turtle.

"What was that for?!" Hanazawa demanded as she watched me obliterate my own monster, my Life Points dropping to a mere 250. "That was completely pointless!"

"I'm afraid that it wasn't," I responded somewhat smugly, looking down at my Deck. "When Pyramid Turtle is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon one Zombie-Type monster with 2000 Defence Points or less from my Deck. I choose my Darkness Gear - Goku En  **(ATK: 2400 DEF: 1400)**!" I announced as my a card emerged from my Deck slot. I removed it, watching as my Disk automatically shuffled my Deck the moment I did so. "I'm going to Summon it in Attack Position!"

The monster that I Summoned was much bigger than anything I'd Summoned thus far during that Duel. It was a massive bipedal creature made from what appeared to be gnarled wood, two protrusions jutting from its back like twisted wings. Its body was a dark purple, and ghostly purple flames seemed to be emitting from from its paws, back and chest, and more came form a hole in its face, almost like a flaming eye. It threw its spiked head back and let out an otherworldly hissing sound, like the sound of someone throwing water on flames, that seemed out of place on such a creature.

"Goku En, attack Aussa!" I ordered, watching as Goku En let out another hiss, the flames around it growing higher and higher. Before Hanazawa could react, Goku En rushed forwards at blinding speeds, clamping its jaws around Aussa who had no time to struggle. With the sound of glass shattering, Aussa disappeared into shards of light.

Dumbstruck, Hanazawa said nothing as I placed a card on my Duel Disk. "I place one card face-down. Your move."

**(Takeo: 250 - Asami: 3450)**

Hanazawa wordlessly drew a card, her face pale, but as she looked at what she'd drawn, she seemed to let out a sigh of relief and her colour started to come back. She smiled shakily, and placed the card that she'd just drawn on her Duel Disk.

"I Summon Possession-Equipped Wynn  **(ATK: 1850 DEF: 1500)**  in Attack Position!" Hanazawa declared as her new monster appeared in the field in a rush of wind. The girl who appeared had green eyes, and her messy green hair was pulled up in a ponytail. She wore similar clothing to Aussa, except she wore a black skirt. The source of the dust-filled wind that obscured her lower legs was the glowing green crystal in the short white staff that she clutched in her right hand. The staff curved over the crystal, the arc designed to resemble Petit Dragon with the addition of fur and two skeletal wings.

"When I Summon her without Releasing monsters, she loses her effect, but she can still use the effect of Unpossessed!" Hanazawa explained, her voice still shaking slightly as she calmed down, a way through the next turn now in her sights. I gritted my teeth, putting two and two together and coming up with the destruction of my monster. "I'm going to have Wynn attack Goku En, and then activate the effect of Unpossessed, raising her Attack Points by 800!"

Wynn began to wave her staff to and fro, the glowing crystal's intensity growing with each swing as the wind started to pick up, rapidly forming a whirlwind around Goku En. It wasn't long before the whirlwind had grown into a raging tornado, obscuring Goku En from view. With Goku En's destruction rapidly approaching, I quickly pressed a button on my Duel Disk.

"I activate the Trap Card Guard Block!" I announced confidently, watching as my card sprang up to reveal an image of a Duelist in a brown jacket drawing a card as a knight in white armour, his blue and red shield disintegrating, became coated in a bright light, its destruction imminent. "With this card, I can draw one card and nullify any damage that I take from this battle!"

Goku En let out a final hiss as a loud explosion occurred from within the tornado. I quickly drew a card, watching as an opaque barrier formed around me, shielding me from the debris. I glanced at the card that I'd just drawn, forcing a smile away as I did so. I looked up at Hanazawa who looked like she'd just bitten into a lemon, but she seemed to decide to say nothing as I placed the card into my hand. She was confident that she would just get me later, no doubt.

"I end my turn," Hanazawa finished through gritted teeth, watching as I reached for another card.

**(Takeo: 250 - Asami: 3450)**

I nodded in confirmation. "OK, then. My turn. I draw," I stated absentmindedly, wondering if the next card would help to speed up the process of my victory. Deciding that it would, but not right now, I placed it in my hand, instead retrieving the card that I'd drawn as a result of Guard Block. "I activate Book of Life!" I announced somewhat excitedly, placing the card on my Duel Disk.

The card that appeared on the field showed an emerald green book with a border of blue and red triangles. Hieroglyphics were written across the bottom, and two images of Anubis on either side of the book faced an ornate blue chalice in the centre, above which floated a Wadjet that seemed to shine with a bright orange light. Above this was a red eye that lay above two seemingly-golden wings.

"With this card," I began to explain, "I can Special Summon one Zombie-Type monster from my Graveyard, and exclude one monster from yours!"

"Wait! What?!" Hanazawa exclaimed, suddenly in a panic as her assured victory was snatched away from her once more.

"I'm afraid I can't, Hanazawa," I responded, removing a card from my Graveyard. "I choose to exclude Possesson-Equipped Aussa, and Special Summon Darkness Gear - Goku En from my Graveyard!"

Hanazawa grumbled out something like an insult as the chosen card emerged from her Graveyard slot, and she carefully placed it in her blazer pocket. As she did so, I placed Goku En on my Disk, and the gargantuan quadrupedal creature came to life once more, letting out a hiss as Book of Life disappeared from the field in shards of light.

"Next," I began somewhat impatiently, "I activate the Instant Magic Card Rush! With this card, I can raise the Attack Points of one monster on the field by 700, and I choose Goku En!" An image of Rush appeared on the field, showing off its signature brown boar as the hologram of the card began to glow with a bright yellow light which began to extend towards, and eventually coat, Goku En, granting it its power. Before Hanazawa could complain further, I gestured towards Goku En and gave the order. "Goku En, destroy Wynn!"

Goku En rushed off once more, clamping his jaws around Wynn with a loud hiss. Wynn let out a desperate scream, and within seconds, she had exploded into shards of light with a sound like shattering glass. The deed done, Goku En returned to my side of the field at its own leisure, allowing Hanazawa's Life Points to drop.

"I end my turn," I finished, watching Hanazawa's annoyed, yet somewhat dumbfounded expression with mild mirth. She was no longer bragging at the very least.

**(Takeo: 250 - Asami: 2200)**

"M-my turn! I draw!" Hanazawa began, her voice stammering nervously. Suddenly, she cracked a shaking, almost desperate-looking smile as she slammed a card down on her Duel Disk. "I Summon Hiita the Fire-Spirit Charmer  **(ATK: 500 DEF: 1500)**  in Defence Position!" she declared as her new monster appeared on the field.

What appeared was a young girl like the other Charmers, her outfit very similar to them aside from her black fingerless gloves, black miniskirt, brown eyes, and wild reddish-brown hair that reached her shoulders. Fire swirled around her feet, their source being the short golden staff in her hand that ended in an ornate point, and spiralled at the top. Floating above the top was a golden ring with protrusions jutting out at intervals, and a large golden orb floated above the ring. The entire top of the staff seemed to be coated in a roaring flame. Her card appearing underneath her, she crouched down, crossing her staff across her chest as the flames roared around her like a barrier.

"When Unpossessed is active on my field, my Charmer monsters can't be destroyed by battle! Let's see how you get past this one! I'll have your Goku En destroyed before you know it!" Hanazawa proudly announced before continuing with, "I end my turn!"

**(Takeo: 250 - Asami: 2200)**

"Right, then! I draw!" I declared, trying my best to remain undaunted. I looked down at my card, hoping for something that would destroy one of her cards at best. While it wasn't what I was thinking of, however, I was not disappointed. I played the card immediately, my voice shaking with excitement, a grin spreading across my face. "I activate the Magic Card "Defence" Sealing!"

The card that appeared on the field showed an image of a man in blue armour with a yellow cross design on his shield, a circle with a dot appearing in the centre of the cross. His helmet obscured his eyes, and his red clothing peeled out from underneath the armour. Over the top of the image was a large white cross.

"With this card, I can change one of your Defence Position monsters to Attack Position, and I choose Hiita!" I rapidly decided, not having much of a choice in the matter. "Your monster might be indestructible, but the damage can certainly get through!"

"Even so, it won't defeat me!" Hanazawa blurted, a wild grin on her face. "Your monster doesn't have enough Attack Points to wipe out my Life Points!l

"On its own, no, but with back-up, it just might!" I retorted, unable to keep excitement from entering my voice as I reached for another card in my hand. "From my hand, I Summon my Plague Wolf  **(ATK: 1000 DEF: 1000)**  in Attack Position!"

With a guttural howl, a shaggy wolf with pitch black fur walked slowly onto the field, tiny spots of purple flame rising from its body in some places, large bones poking through its decaying skin in others. Its eyes, one blue, one red, regarded Hiita with a hungry gaze, its long tongue lolling from its mouth.

With a quick glance at her hand, Hanazawa chuckled nervously. "You wouldn't activate its effect, would you...? That's overkill..."

With a glance at the cards on the floor and the fidgeting boy, who had remained silent throughout most of the Duel, I raised a hand to my chin, pretending to think it over. Finally, I stated, "You know what? I just might," my tone filled with mirth as I watched her pale considerably more. "I activate Plague Wolf's effect!" I declared with a grin. "In exchange for sending this card to the Graveyard at the end of the turn, I can double its Attack Points! This is the end of the line!"

The flames that sprouted from Plague Wolf's body seemed to grow in intensity as the monster let out a loud, deep, unearthly howl, baring its sharp fangs at Hiita who had begun to tremble in fear. With a hiss, Goku En crouched, ready to receive its orders, which I wasted no time in giving. With a gesture towards Hiita, I shouted, "Goku En, Plague Wolf, end this Duel!"

The two monsters did just that. Goku En raced forwards, Plague Wolf at his heels, both locking their jaws around Hiita's body as the girl screamed just like all the others, but unlike them, she wasn't allowed the mercy of being destroyed. In a panic, threw her fire in all directions, trying to no avail to throw off her attackers, yet accidentally striking the Duelist who had Summoned her in the process, who squealed as the virtual heat appeared to sear her without leaving real damage, causing her Life Points to drop to 0.

**(Takeo: 250 - Asami: 0)**

**(Winner: Takeo)**

There was a long silence as the monsters disappeared and our Duel Disks deactivated. Hanazawa fell to her knees in shock, staring up at me as I walked towards her, intending to ensure that she upheld her end of the bargain. She pulled herself to her feet as I stopped in front of her and looked down into my face.

"Who  _are_  you...?" she asked quietly, watching me intently.

"Moriya Takeo," I responded bluntly.

"Moriya..." she mused softly, lapsing into silence for a few seconds before finally asking, "The shrine-owner's kid...?"

"The very one," I responded somewhat curtly before gesturing towards the cards on the floor. "I believe you have something to pick up."

With a quiet nod, Hanazawa averted her gaze and stepped around me, ignoring the boy against the wall as she crouched down to pick up the cards that she had haphazardly thrown to the ground. As she did so, I stepped towards the boy, bending down so that I could meet his gaze. Despite likely only being a year young than me, he really was just a tiny thing, and very shy if the way that he averted his eyes was any indication.

"You OK?" I asked quietly. "Not hurt or anything?"

"N-no... Thank you..." he responded, his voice almost too faint to hear.

I smiled in what I hoped was a disarming manner, hoping to make him feel a little more comfortable, something about him just making me want to help. "I'm Moriya Takeo. What's your name?" I questioned, happy to wait for a response, ignoring the fact that I'd usually be much more impatient and rough than this.

After a long pause, he met my gaze with an air of increased confidence, and said, "Katsu." Then with a small smile, "Koide Katsu."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For reference, these are the card names and other terms in English in the order that they come:
> 
> Skull Dog Maron = Skull Dog Marron
> 
> Tako-san = Those little sausages that are cut up to look like octopi.
> 
> Master Kyonshī = Master Kyonshee
> 
> Attack Nullification = Negate Attack
> 
> Eria the Water-Spirit Charmer = Eria the Water Charmer
> 
> Mousetrap = Eatgaboon
> 
> Aussa the Earth-Spirit Charmer = Aussa the Earth Charmer
> 
> Emissaries of Reconciliation = Waboku
> 
> Jigobyte = Jigabyte
> 
> Daemon Eater = Nefarious Archfiend of Nefariousness
> 
> Release = Tribute/Sacrifice
> 
> Advance Summon = Tribute Summon
> 
> Possession-Equipped Aussa = Familiar- Possessed - Aussa
> 
> Magic Card = Spell Card
> 
> Darkness Gear - Goku En = Malevolent Mech - Goku En
> 
> Guard Block = Defence Draw
> 
> Exclude = Banish/remove from play
> 
> Instant Magic Card = Quick-Play Spell Card
> 
> Rush = Rush Recklessly
> 
> Hiita the Fire-Spirit Charmer = Hiita the Fire Charmer
> 
> "Defence" Sealing = Stop Defence
> 
> Please keep in mind that I have chosen to refer to placement of the cards as 'Position' rather than 'Display' as it is hard to put 'Display' into a sentence and still make it seem grammatically correct. Many subbed episodes also continue to use the term 'Position', so it's more recognisable for many people.
> 
> Also, please keep in mind that I'm British. As a result, the spelling of some card names may be changed to reflect this, so please don't feel confused if something hasn't been spelled in a way that you're used to seeing. I'm not changing it.


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like Zombie Master. He seems like great craic.

 

“Are all your cards there?” I asked as I watched Katsu-kun rapidly examine the cards in his Deck one by one. There was a long pause and I couldn’t help but wonder if some of them were missing as Katsu-kun’s frown deepened.

Finally, after a period of silence, Katsu-kun let out a relieved sigh. “They’re all here,” he announced calmly, holding his Deck close to him as though he was afraid that he’d lose it a second time.

“That’s great…” I responded quietly, relieved that he hadn’t lost anything on my watch. “What happened back there, anyway? Were you antagonising Hanazawa-san?” I asked curiously, watching as Katsu-kun seemed to go from confused to expressing emphatic denial in two seconds flat.

“N-no! I’d never!” Katsu-kun exclaimed, blushing with embarrassment and frantically waving his hands in the air as though the act could waft away the very notion of such a thing. Almost as soon as he’d started, he had stopped and was clutching his Deck close to his chest once more. “I-I was going to the toilet a-and Hanazawa-san was w-walking in the other d-direction. The n-next thing I knew, she had m-me up against the w-wall, and she was d-demanding my cards, b-but she didn’t like them and t-threw them on the f-floor. That’s when y-you came along…” Katsu-kun quietly explained, his nervous voice barely more than a whisper.

“Well, at least they’re all there,” I stated matter-of-factly, scratching the back of my head with one hand.

Katsu-kun seemed to calm down a little at the mention of his cards, and looked down at them with a fond expression. “Thanks for helping me. These cards mean a lot to me,” he admitted, his tone peaceful and quiet.

“Hm?” I responded, somewhat curious. “How so?”

The response was without hesitation. “I got most of these cards years ago. My dad had just been made redundant, and my mum was ill. This Deck was a birthday gift. We had no money, so that made it even more special. It was just a Structure Deck, but I still loved it, even if other people criticised it, and I still do,” he explained, looking up into my face with the brightest smile I’d seen all day as he told his story with pride.

Honestly, I didn’t know what to say. I felt somewhat guilty that I’d made him recount such a tale, even if he seemed eager to tell said tale. Evidently, it didn’t bother him, and that was a good thing, but I couldn’t help but let my awkward streak take over as I felt forced to avert my gaze.

“Jeez, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked,” I muttered embarrassedly, suddenly very intrigued by the floor.

“No! Don’t!” Katsu-kun immediately protested, drawing my gaze back to him. “I’m not ashamed of it! I’m proud of it! My mum was OK, and my dad got another job! There’s no problem!”

I couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good…”

“Anyway,” Katsu-kun continued, eyes shimmering as he began to look through his Deck once more, “we got more money and I was able to change some of the cards, but the core of my Deck always stays the same.”

Katsu-kun removed a card from his Deck and showed it to me, almost vibrating with excitement, revealing the image of a man with spikey red armour covering his arms and shoulders, and his legs were clad in steel grey armour, blue clothes visible underneath. His long red hair flowed back from a helmet that protected the sides of his head, and he carried a large gun that seemed to crackle with energy. It wasn’t a rare card, as such. Then again, cards from Structure Decks seldom are.

“Flamvell Deathgunner,” Katsu-kun announced with a sense of pride, his chest puffing out as he carefully placed the card back in his Deck. “Isn’t he awesome?”

Rare or not, Katsu-kun wasn’t wrong. “Definitely,” I agreed with an awkward smile, but he seemed to overlook my expression, instead focusing on my words. Speaking of ace cards, I couldn’t help but vaguely mention my own. “I didn’t even use my Ace Card in that last Duel,” I mused, raising a hand to my chin as I pondered whether or not playing it would actually have been a good idea.

“Your Ace Card?” Katsu-kun quickly inquired. If he had been a dog, I could have imagined his ears pricking up and his tail wagging. “What is it? Can I see it?”

“Sure,” I responded, getting a little excited, myself. I could see no harm in it. Just as I reached for my Deck, I felt a cold sensation brush across my shoulder.

“Oi, Takeo,” I heard the old man call. He sounded somewhat perturbed. I glanced up in his general direction as I pulled my Deck out from its box, showing him that I was listening, even if I couldn’t respond. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him nod his head in the direction of the corner of the hallway, and I discreetly followed his gaze. “You have a stalker,” he told me, his tone one of distaste.

“Stalker…?” I inadvertently said out loud. Katsu-kun let out a startled noise and rapidly turned in time to see Hanazawa-san dart away from the corner where she’d been spying on the both of us.

“What’s she doing…?” Katsu-kun muttered timidly, a bead of sweat rolling down his face. “She’s not gonna get revenge, is she…?”

“Not if I can help it,” I responded sternly, momentarily forgetting my Deck as I kept my eyes on the corner where Hanazawa-san had been, hoping that she wouldn’t come back.

Another ten seconds or so passed as we closely watched the corner for any signs of movement, but nothing happened, and we were suddenly interrupted by the sound of the bell. Katsu-kun jumped and started to panic.

“My class is at the other side of the school!” he moaned in despair, already starting to run. That, however, didn’t stop him from turning around to shout, “Thanks again!” before darting off once more.

Classes progressed as normal, and by the end of the day, I strangely found myself waiting for the small boy to show up, but despite waiting in front of the school for a good twenty minutes, he didn’t show up. I decided that he’d gone on home ahead of me berated myself for even bothering to wait for a boy that I’d just met.

“If you’re waiting for that boy,” the old man told me somewhat absentmindedly, “he’s probably gone on home.”

If even a spirit thought that I was wasting my time, I had to concede that there was no point in sticking around. Even my friends had gone on home without me. Kou-kun had left before the school day had ended, fed up with classes, and Harumi-chan had stormed out of Duel Academia the moment the final bell rang, determined to give Kou-kun a piece of her mind. It didn’t matter. After the debacle on the roof, I didn’t want to talk to them, anyway.

This was good.

With a frustrated sigh, I walked on, heading out of the school gates and down the road. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the cherry blossom trees that lined both sides of the road were in full bloom, but it was still a rather cold day. I was thankful that the old man was no longer floating behind me, making it worse. He’d gone somewhere inside me. My soul, I think. He spent a lot of time in there, and he couldn’t have wandered off, because he could only go so far away from me.

As the cherry blossoms gave way to the bustling centre of Yūgure City with its many shops and distinct lack of greenery, I considered popping into a shop or two, not to buy anything that wasn’t edible, but to have a look around. I had no homework, and I never knew what I’d find in some of the shops. Just down the road was a pâtisserie that seemed to change its menu every day, and there were several card shops on the way home, too. Even so, I decided against it. My dad would want me to get home sooner rather than later, as much as I wanted to stay as far away from the place as possible for as long as possible. He wouldn’t have wanted me to spend unnecessary money, anyway.

As I walked home, darting in and out of the bustling people and trying to ignore the delicious scents wafting from the food shops, I couldn’t help but think about my father. He hadn’t been the same in years. Not since my mother had died in a car accident. It wasn’t long after her death that Dad, who ran an unofficial, yet not illegal, shrine dedicated to the Herald of the Gentle Darkness and offering him sanctuary—which, to many, was a strange occupation for my father to have—found out about my special ability to speak to Duel Spirits. That and the fact that I had seemingly miraculously survived the accident made him see something special in me beyond seeing me as his son. He didn’t even seem to see me as his son by that point, anymore.

My father saw me as something of a project, I suppose. He wasn’t unkind, but he was certainly strict, and he never failed to regularly let me know that he had my entire future planned out for me, and Duel Academia was only the first step on my spiritual quest to learn more about the Spirit World and its denizens, and offer the next Herald better service than my father ever could, accompanied by a deeper understanding of the metaphorical world that the Herald belonged to.

I, on the other hand, wanted to become the Duel King, nothing more, but that wasn’t what Dad wanted of me, and it didn’t seem to be what the old man wanted, either, because I was his little project, too. The old man didn’t seem to think that I had it in me, just because he had failed in his own time.

The old man, though… How long had it been since I’d last referred to him by name? Not since that falling out we had years prior. He had tried to comfort me about my mother’s death during one of my low periods, and I had snapped at him, calling him a stupid old man who shouldn’t pretend as though he knew what it was like, and what with my stubborn streak, I had never quite been able to let it drop. When I stopped treating him with respect, he stopped doing the same. Evidently, we were hewn from the same rock, he and I. We were alike in more ways than I liked to admit.

It was an hour before I reached the short, yet winding path up a hill on the outskirts of the city that led to my home—an unusually modern-looking white two-storey house for something that stood on the property of a shrine which lay behind the house. It wasn’t unlike a Shinto shrine. It was wooden, and there were a few steps leading up into it. As with most small shrines, it had the usual East Asian hip-and-gable roof with clay tiles. Aside from that, it was sparse, and the inside was even more so.

As I started towards the house, an amicable-sounding voice stopped me. “Your father isn’t in the house, Takeo-kun.”

I turned to meet a Duel Spirit that stood at almost twice my height who looked every bit the superhero his card name claimed him to be. He was imposing, and despite appearing to be human-like, he was clad in green feathers, the front of his toned torso being more of a grey colour. He wore a pair of green shoulder plates, and from his left wrist sprouted something that looked like a brownish-red bear paw with long, sharp claws. From his shoulders sprouted two wings that appeared to be clad in green armour, both of which had a red jewel set into them. It was one of the monsters from the old man’s Deck which lay in the shrine, and I knew him well.

“Hi, Featherman. Did he go out?” I asked somewhat incredulously. Dad never went out. He always got me to do the shopping, so there was no reason for him to leave. I often wondered if he was uncomfortable around other people.

“I wish,” Featherman joked, pointing his clawed hand to the rear of the house. “No. He’s in the shrine. I think he’s been waiting for you. You’d better take your shoes off before you go in. It means nothing to us, but we don’t want you to get in trouble.”

I was somewhat thankful for Featherman’s worrying. I quite liked Featherman, and he always seemed to be around somewhere, along with the kind Burst Lady, the always optimistic Sparkman, the absolute troll Bubbleman, and the ever-strong and silent Clayman. I was unsure if I had ever actually heard Clayman’s voice before, once I thought about it. He never really needed to speak, though. He was more of a silent, comforting guardian of sorts. Nevertheless, it seemed as though the other three weren’t present, and I couldn’t help but wonder if they were with my dad.

“Thanks, Featherman. He’s probably just going to give me the same speech again,” I assured him, giving him an awkward smile.

In response, Featherman seemed to frown disapprovingly, not at what I said, but at the thought that my dad was trying to push his ideals on me again. It was no secret that he didn’t like my father forcing a future on me, but he said nothing, as usual, merely giving me a nod of confirmation before fading away.

The conversation over, I made my way around the side of the house. Instead of a garden, or a wall, or a fence, to the left of the gravel path that I walked on was an open field that ran downhill into the woods below. The tall, unkempt grass dotted with wildflowers seemed to bow and wave softly in the breeze, the sun casting a golden glow upon it. I had a lot of good times growing up next to that field, running through it with my friends, and I still had vague memories of my mother laughing as she chased me through it. I never went in that field anymore now that I’d grown up a bit and those weren’t the sort of games I played anymore, but I didn’t think I could ever stand to see it go.

I continued to follow the gravel path, and in under a minute, I had emerged on the other side of my house. There stood the previously-mentioned shrine, flanked by the sun kissed grass that swayed around it, the gravel path being the only clear way to the front steps. I traversed the distance somewhat slowly and took my shoes off at the bottom of the steps, leaving them next to the wooden sandals that my father wore before making my way up the steps. I slid the sliding door back and stepped into the warm candlelit shrine.

“I’m back,” I quietly announced, almost as though I was hoping that he wouldn’t notice me. For what felt like minutes, there was silence, and I took the opportunity to close the door behind me and kneel behind Dad.

Dad didn’t wear clothing that would be typical of a priest. He favoured darker colours—a sign of his devotion to the Gentle Darkness, he’d say. As he knelt in front of the shrine, I could see his faintly-illuminated black male kimono. He had allowed no part of the kimono to be any lighter, I recall, and it was probably the most formal thing he owned.

Eventually, Dad turned to face me, and in the dim candlelight, I could barely make out his haggard features. His black hair hung around his chin, and his dark grey eyes stared listlessly from his pale, sunken, tired-looking face, dark bags evident beneath them. His stubble was starting to evolve into something more ragged, and I found myself wondering when the last time he had shaved was. Nevertheless, he was young, and if he cleaned himself up a bit and managed to get in better health, I was sure that he’d be quite handsome, but it had been a long time since I’d seen him like that, and at that moment, he looked to be twice the age he really was.

“What are the Spirits telling you?” he finally asked, his voice barely more than a whisper and eerily monotonous.

“Uh…” I started nervously, wondering if I should make up a lie to please him. Eventually, I decided against it. “Nothing at the moment. Well…Featherman did tell me that you were here, and that you were probably looking for me. I hope he wasn’t wrong.”

“They never seem to be,” Dad responded with a nod of confirmation, seemingly pleased with my answer as the ghost of a smile seemed to pass across his features. He turned away from me and looked up at the cheaply-made wooden altar—at least, that was what it was intended to be—upon which lay a single Deck of cards. _His_ Deck. “I wonder if he heard me speak your name. I’m amazed that they listen to one such as I,” he finally finished, his voice still quiet, but with an air of awe and wonder to it.

“They’re around a lot of the time,” I explained bluntly, hoping to make the idea of their presence a little easier to understand. “If you were talking, someone heard it. My Duel Spirit partners tend to talk to them a lot, so information is spread pretty quickly around here. It reaches me sooner or later.”

“To think that my own child was chosen by the Gentle Darkness to communicate with the Spirits…” Dad whispered, shaking his head incredulously. “It must be fate…”

“Fate…?” I echoed, unable to keep a hint of scepticism out of my voice. “I don’t know about that. This is pretty normal for me.”

“But, you were surely chosen,” Dad insisted, turning around to face me with a somewhat excited expression—the most emotion I’d seen on his face all day. “Why else would you be here at this shrine?” Before I could even respond, he continued, his voice louder and more serious. “But, I didn’t want you here to talk about that. I wanted you here so that we could talk about your future.”

“My…future…?” I inquired, trying to suppress the frustrated groan that was building up inside me.

“Yes. You’re the future of this shrine. You’ll be a better shrine keeper than I will ever be,” Dad told me sternly, turning his head slightly to face me. “Surely you know your duty to the shrine, especially as one who has been touched by the powers of the Gentle Darkness. He told me, you know. That’s why people can see Spirits. As a seer of Spirits, he has touched you, making you one of the closest things to the Herald in terms of ability. You will offer him a place of respite and sanctuary by taking on this role.”

“What if I said no?” I rebelliously retorted, testing the waters. Dad’s eyes became severe.

“You have no choice in the matter. This is the fate that’s been decided for you since birth by Life, himself,” he told me, evidently taking care not to let any venom leak into his tone.

“That’s not the case,” I stubbornly reminded him. I wasn’t about to let him lay my life out for me now any more than I did the last thousand or so times we’d had that talk.

Dad pursed his lips in annoyance and turned away from me, no doubt in disappointment and anger. Silence reigned for what felt like an eternity, but eventually, he spoke up again, unable to hide the disappointment in his voice as he began.

“Let me tell you a story,” Dad told me, leaving no room for argument. “Perhaps this will change your mind.” He paused, and I saw his pale, bony hands grasp his kimono tightly. “The first time I met the Herald, I was only a little younger than you are now. I had been walking home one night when an explosion went off in a nearby skyscraper. I remember how he seemed to appear from nowhere that night, and he suddenly stood between myself and this…shadowy thing that shot out of the rubble like a bullet. He was a young man, then, and he stood as tall and proud then as he did at the end.

“He brought up a…shield, I suppose, of purest darkness, and the moment the thing touched it, it seemed to disintegrate, and it was gone. He turned to me, and he looked at me with the most piercing eyes I’d ever seen. He asked me if I was all right, and I told him that I was. He nodded at me, and just like that, he was gone. He’d saved my life, and I didn’t even know what he’d saved me from.”

“A creature of Darkness,” I heard the old man’s voice echo matter-of-factly from somewhere deep inside my mind. He’d evidently been listening. “A guy called Darkness was making them at the time. He’s nothing to worry about for the moment.”

I wondered whether I should say anything, or whether I should have been worried about the words “for the moment,” as though it would one day be a problem, but I kept quiet as Dad continued.

“I grew up and established the shrine, hoping to give the Herald a place of respite, and for a long time, I heard nothing from him. I even began to think that such a thing was unnecessary…until he showed up injured on our doorstep one day. While he had never visited, news of his humble shrine had reached his ears somehow, and he came to your mother and I for aid while he recovered from his battle injuries in secret, but he wouldn’t tell us who or what he was trying to avoid, supposedly for our own safety.

“I brought him tea, and just as I was about to leave him, he grabbed my arm and declared that he knew me. I was the boy he had saved all those years ago. I could scarcely believe it. He had barely said a sentence to me, yet he remembered me after all those years, and more than that, he was glad to see that I was still all right…”

My father trailed off wistfully, and even with his back turned to me, I could tell that he was staring blankly up at the Deck in front of him, thoughts and questions rushing through his mind, as he often did when he was confused by something. “I don’t know how he remembered,” he finally admitted, his voice soft, and almost distant.

Again, the old man’s bored-sounding voice echoed through my mind. “I’ll explain that one later…” He paused. “When you’re not busy or tired.” His presence seemed to disappear again as he stopped talking.

 _Great,_ I thought, annoyed by the thought of the conversation I’d have with him. _He’s going to try to explain something complicated._

“It was amazing,” Dad continued, his tone awed. I jolted slightly as his louder voice drove me from my thoughts. “I never forgot those eyes of his, as confident and…steely as they were. In the short time that he stayed there, he was quiet. Didn’t say much. He mostly talked to beings that your mother and I couldn’t see. Then, he left as quickly as he came.”

There was a long pause, and my Dad swallowed heavily, almost as though he didn’t want to speak anymore, yet he eventually continued anyway, his voice much quieter—almost a whisper. “A year later, he was dead… Nobody really knows what happened…” There was another long pause. Then, with a cough, he continued, his voice much louder. “You were born that day—the day that he died—and lo and behold, you grew up to see the same things that he could. You belonged to his world. Is that not fate?”

My father turned towards me, a smile on his face and his eyes wide as he stared into my own eyes with the enthusiasm of a fanatic that was dying to be proven correct. I swallowed heavily as his eyes started to dart around, searching the area around me, as though he could suddenly somehow see what I could. As though he longed to be part of my world, too. Again, I gulped as my mind frantically searched for a response.

_I don’t want this!_

_It’s not fate!_

_I have different goals than you do, Dad!_

_Why can’t you ask me about what I want?!_

_Why is it always about you and what you want?!_

I took a deep breath, preparing to argue.

“Yes…” I suddenly found myself responding against my own will, my voice monotonous, before slowly adding, “Surely…”

My retorts died on my tongue. I could have screamed, but I held my tongue, as usual. _Why can’t I talk to him like I do to everyone else?!_

The long and the short of it was that he’d lost a loved one, and even though I’d lost the same loved one, voicing my own thoughts to him and frustrating him was, at that point, an impossibility. It was better for my own conscience to let him have his way. I’d fight back eventually.

I _definitely_ would.

_Eventually._

My father’s gaze focused on my face once more, and he searched my emotionless face as I struggled to maintain eye contact with him. It was more difficult than I would have liked to admit _. I don’t have a choice,_ I told myself, repeating what appeared to be my mantra of sorts. _I don’t have a choice. I don’t have a choice. I don’t have a choice._

“I don’t have a choice…” I muttered to myself, gritting my teeth in shame and annoyance as the words that I had intended to keep inside myself leaked out.

Dad nodded abruptly. He said nothing, but I could see his ‘response’ in his eyes, which looked more focused and serious than they had been in a long time. ‘Of course you don’t. Your duties will always lie here,’ they seemed to say. I finally averted my gaze, turning my eyes towards the floor, unable to look at him any longer. Whether it was out of anger towards him or shame regarding myself, I still don’t know.

Nevertheless, I was abruptly pulled from my thoughts as something that had once been transparent slowly seemed to come into existence next to me. I turned my head as Burst Lady appeared in her barely-there red catsuit, her gold headdress with a green gem on the front holding her black hair with white tips in place, and casting a shadow over her bright green eyes. Her red face paint which surrounded her eyes and seemed to run down her face like bloody tears and her equally red lipstick stood out starkly against her pale blue skin. If she had been human, such a shade would have been worrying.

“Oh. Hi, Burst Lady,” I greeted her, barely avoiding breathing a relieved sigh as I did so, relieved more than words could say that she’d created a distraction for me. I struggled to maintain a smile, hoping that she’d seen and heard nothing. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my dad perk up, his eyes darting around once more. I briefly wondered if he thought that she might have something important to say to either of us before turning my attention back to the Duel Spirit.

She smiled kindly down at me, bending down to look me in the eyes as though she thought me to be a young child—something that I heavily contested at that age. Nonetheless, judging by her bright expression, she hadn’t seen anything. I avoided heaving another sigh of relief. “One of your little friends is waiting outside the house for you. I don’t think I’ve seen this one before,” she explained, her smile widening into a cheeky grin. “Did you make a new friend today?”

I blushed with embarrassment, mildly annoyed by how she was treating me, the conversation that I’d just had slowly disappearing from my mind. “Maybe. I don’t know,” I hurriedly responded, honestly not sure, myself. If it was Katsu-kun at the door, as I suspected, I had no idea as to whether he considered himself to be my friend after only one meeting. I couldn’t see how it could have been anybody else. Burst Lady knew both of my close friends, so it was either Katsu-kun, or someone else from school, and that wasn’t very likely.

“Well, they’re waiting by the front door. Wouldn’t want them to leave,” Burst Lady told me in an almost sickeningly sweet tone of voice, standing up straight again.

“Thanks, Burst Lady. I’ll check on them,” I responded, standing up as I finally heaved that sigh of relief. I was definitely glad to be leaving the room. “One of my friends is at the door, Dad,” I hurriedly blurted out. “I’ll see what they want.”

Without waiting to hear a response, I opened the door and quickly stepped outside, barely registering his rapid response of, “Don’t leave the property. I’ll need your help later.”

“OK!” I called back, trying to speak as fast as possible as I slid the door shut behind me. Pulling on my shoes, I hurried around the side of the house, ignoring the connotations of my father’s last words to me. It was really only chores—cleaning, cooking—that he wanted my help with. The boring tasks were the least of my worries, I decided as I pushed the entire conversation from earlier from my mind for the time being. I jogged around the corner of the house to see Katsu-kun by the front door, knocking with a frown on his face. I slowed to a brisk walk and quickly approached him.

“Katsu-kun!” I called, gaining his attention as I approached him. His frown softened and disappeared, and he stepped down from the front porch to meet me. “Sorry I’m late. My dad and I weren’t in the house.”

Katsu-kun raised both of his hands almost defensively. “Don’t worry about it!” he hurriedly responded, obviously wishing to avoid any misunderstandings. “I don’t mind waiting!”

It was then that I briefly noticed the white cardboard box in his hand. The handle had been held so tightly that the cardboard had warped, almost as though Katsu-kun had been terrified of dropping it, but his hold on the handle had loosened now that our conversation had begun. He lowered his hands and, looking a little nervous, he opened his mouth to speak.

“I-I h-hope you don’t mind…” he stammered nervously, trailing off as he held the box out with both hands, “b-but I heard you and Hanazawa-san talking about where you live earlier… I had to thank you…f-for earlier, that is…”

“Huh? For me?” I responded, sounding confused. I awkwardly took the box in both hands, noticing the symbol on the other side as I turned it. “The Amari Bakery?” I read, my eyes widening as I saw the familiar red kanji and the image of a warm-looking cartoon cake still in its baking tin as steam rose from it in three wavy lines. “That bakery is expensive! Can you afford something like this?!” I asked Katsu-kun, unable to hide the alarm in my voice.

Katsu-kun rapidly shook his head and pushed the box further towards me, despite the fact that I already had it in my hands. “I had to thank you!” he cried out, his somewhat-faltering, yet serious gaze meeting my eyes. “Nobody’s ever stood up for me like that before!”

“I should still pay you back!” I argued, suddenly becoming rather panicked. Where was this ability when I needed it earlier?

“No! Absolutely not!” Katsu-kun practically shouted, sounding equally panicked.

I frowned down at the box, suddenly feeling incredibly guilty. I hadn’t meant for him to do something like this. I’d intended to help him out, find out if he was OK, and then leave it there. He didn’t need to have anything more to do with me after that if he didn’t want to. Yet, here he was, outside my house, presenting me with what felt like a cake from the most highly-reviewed—and, as a consequence, the most expensive—bakery in the city. He didn’t need to do this… I needed to think of something…!

“Then…” I slowly began, thinking deeply about the proposal that I’d make next. “Then, come inside and eat it with me! I can’t eat a whole cake by myself!” I finally said, hoping that I sounded demanding enough that he’d agree.

There was another long pause for what felt like the fiftieth time that day before he finally nodded awkwardly. “O-OK… I wouldn’t mind…” he responded quietly.

I felt a wave of relief wash over me, and I suddenly didn’t feel as guilty as before. “We’ll go into the kitchen, then. It’s not going to be dinnertime for a while. Eating a little bit of it now wouldn’t hurt,” I told him with a relieved grin, which he seemed to do his best to mirror as I walked past him and led him inside.

Our kitchen was, admittedly, quite large, but it was definitely boring, all things considered. The walls were a dull beige colour, and the floor was made from the same old, dull, unattractive wood as the wooden table that sat in the centre of the room, and the drab cupboards, amongst which were various black kitchen appliances, like the sink and cooker. Most of the light came in through a small window with rather out-of-place black curtains, but there were also several small round lights set into the ceiling.

Katsu-kun sat at the table—thankfully, without being prompted in his case—and I went to the cupboards to fetch two white, featureless plates, two forks and a knife, leaving Katsu-kun to look around himself.

“So…” Katsu-kun started awkwardly as he glanced nervously around the kitchen, “this is…a shrine, right…?”

“Yeah, although it’s not an official one. It’s supposed to be in honour of the Herald of the Gentle Darkness, but he didn’t think much of it,” I responded as I opened the box, taken aback by how utterly adorable the cake was. It was a sponge of sorts, by the looks of things, covered in delicious-looking white icing with fancy piping and topped with shiny, bright red strawberries. It almost seemed like it would be a sin to cut it.

“The Herald?” Katsu-kun asked, sounding confused. “Isn’t he dead?”

“Yeah. 12 years ago,” I replied, finally cutting into the cake and lifting a slice out of the box, my mouth watering as I spied slices of strawberry in the white cream filling.

“Does your dad think that he’s some sort of god or something? I mean…the man is _dead_ …” Katsu-kun asked incredulously.

“Honestly, I don’t even know. He’s supposed to reincarnate or something, so I think he’s waiting for him,” I responded awkwardly, averting my gaze. “To be honest, though, I don’t even see the point of it. I mentioned it earlier, but he didn’t even think much of it. He hid out here once because he didn’t have any other choice and that was it. We don’t even make much money from it, although a few people _do_ come for pilgrimages every year.” I couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’d be surprised how many Elemental HERO cosplayers turn up.”

Katsu-kun laughed out loud and seemed to loosen up a little. “So, he’s, like, your dad’s idol or something?” he asked, licking his lips as I finally transferred the second slice over to the plate and closed the box.

“Yeah. That’s probably the right word for it. He saved dad’s life once, apparently, and he’s never forgotten it,” I told Katsu-kun, recalling my conversation with my dad from earlier.

“Wow…” Katsu-kun responded breathlessly as he reached out for his plate of cake. “That’s wild…” As I sat down at the table, I saw him look behind me towards the cabinet. “That’s him, right?” he asked suddenly.

I turned in my seat, trying to make out which picture he was talking about. “The Herald?” I asked, hearing Katsu-kun hum in confirmation behind me. I looked towards the glass cabinet to see a rather old photo inside a black metal picture frame. It was, without a doubt, the old man, but it had almost certainly been taken without his consent, and the photo, itself, was grainy, having been printed from our library’s old computer. In the photo, he was facing away from the camera, looking out over a vast expanse of greenery in a valley far below, the bright sunlight reflecting off the lens, not enough to ruin the photo entirely, but enough to lower the quality significantly. I wasn’t even sure where that picture had been taken. Maybe I would ask later…

“Yeah,” I replied, turning back around to face my guest. “Dad found it on the internet. He collects just about everything to do with the guy.”

“He kind of looks like you…” Katsu-kun muttered, squinting as he tried to get a better look at the photo.

“Uh…” I responded, unsure of what to say, and honestly just wanting to cut that thought off entirely before it became a point of conversation.

I shovelled a piece of cake into my mouth as though that would make everything go away and was immediately caught off guard by how amazingly good it was—far better than I’d hoped for. The sponge was soft, moist, and perfectly baked, almost melting on my tongue. The icing and cream were refreshing and sweet, and when combined with the slightly tart, flavourful strawberries and smooth cream filling, the flavours combined perfectly.

“Wouldn’t it be crazy if you actually _were_ him?” Katsu-kun asked jokingly, grinning widely as he sliced into his cake with a fork.

The taste suddenly seemed to vanish, and I choked on the mouthful of cake in surprise. I forced it down, coughing, and looked up at Katsu-kun, my expression incredulous and my thoughts grinding to a halt. My blood ran cold until I finally noticed the bright grin on his face and I slowly realised that he had been joking, but seeing my reaction, the grin slowly faded away and he started to look a little shocked.

“What? Is it true?” he asked hurriedly before lowering his voice conspiratorially. “Is that, like, your secret identity or something…?!”

I brought a finger up to my lips, glancing at the door for any sign of my father. “Shh…! Don’t let my dad hear you talking like that…! He’ll say it’s blasphemy or something…” I hurriedly hushed him.

Well, it wasn’t a lie, anyway…

“Nah,” Katsu-kun slowly responded, shaking his head with an air of finality. “It’s a stupid thought, anyway. Honestly, I don’t even know what I think of the guy.”

“How so…?” I asked curiously, yet warily, trying to calm my rapidly-beating heart.

“Well, I keep hearing a lot of conflicting opinions on the guy,” Katsu-kun answered, apparently thinking deeply as he raised a hand up to his chin. “My parents absolutely love him, but loads of people say that he was some kind of con artist who faked everything he did for recognition. Don’t know what he would have gained from it, though. It wasn’t money, anyway. My neighbour has this weird theory, too. He thinks that he was a demon.”

I raised an eyebrow incredulously. “A demon…?”

“Yeah. It turns out that it’s not even an uncommon theory, either. Loads of people think it. He was a pretty scary guy, they say. There’s this wild theory that he’s going to come back someday and destroy humanity like some kind of vengeful god,” Katsu-kun said, gesturing wildly. “That’s another one, too. People worshipped him, apparently, and people who could see Duel Spirits were his chosen people or something. Thought he was some kind of god, or maybe some sort of messiah. My parents say it’s all nonsense, though. They don’t know what he was. They just thought he was a good guy with powers.”

I scoffed. “Where does the basis for these things even come from?”

“Well, I mean, how many people did that guy save? People felt indebted to him, for sure, and he definitely wasn’t a normal guy,” Katsu-kun said, shovelling a forkful of cake into his mouth and practically melting into the chair with happiness. I just shrugged in response, eager to leave the conversation behind entirely.

“No clue. Anyway, Flamvell, right?” I inquired, hurrying to change the subject now that his questions had been answered.

Katsu-kun seemed taken aback. “Uh… Yeah…” he muttered before suddenly lightening up. “You mentioned that you had a favourite card earlier. What was it?”

“How about a Duel?” I asked, suddenly feeling somewhat excited. “You can see it when I play it.”

Katsu-kun’s face lit up light Christmas. “Yeah!” he cheered, but suddenly, he groaned, sinking into his seat. “I left my Duel Disk at home, though…”

“No worries,” I responded light-heartedly, glad to finally be on a comfortable topic. “We can just do it here. I’ll get some playmats.” Katsu-kun brightened up and nodded enthusiastically, and in a flash, I was up the stairs and in my room, rummaging through cupboards and my wardrobe, but…no playmats…

I stood up, sighing in frustration. If they weren’t in my room, where could they have been? Katsu-kun would probably think I was insane, but…

“Zombie Master?!” I shouted, finally giving up.

“What?!” I heard Zombie Master respond from somewhere downstairs, his voice as light-hearted as always.

“Where are my playmats?!” I called down the stairs.

“They’re where you left them!” Zombie Master replied unhelpfully.

“That doesn’t help me!” I shouted in frustration, stomping down the stairs.

“They’re in the living room cabinet!” he shouted as I rounded the staircase and headed in the direction that his voice was coming from.

“What are they doing in the living room cabinet?” I asked more quietly once I entered the living room, watching as Zombie Master bent over an open newspaper that my dad had evidently left lying on the sofa, reading it upside down.

Suddenly, Zombie Master whirled around, his filthy, tattered robes and long grey hair flying out behind him as he did so, and he gestured wildly to the cabinet with bony hands and long fingernails, a mad grin on his face. “You threw them in there years ago when you got your first Duel Disk and declared that you’d never need them again!” he continued to shout as I bent down to open the cabinet. I heard his sprightly footsteps as he skipped across the room to my side.

“Indoor voice, Zombie Master,” I reprimanded him. “You’ll disturb the other Spirits.”

“Shh… Indoor voice…” he responded mockingly. I rolled my eyes.

“We’re Dueling. Get your act together,” I snapped, shutting the cabinet now that I had retrieved the slightly crumpled playmats. When I turned, he was entirely too close to my face. Yelping in shock, I jumped backwards and lightly bumped my head on the cabinet, causing the ornaments on the shelves to rattle.

“Indoor voice, Takeo!” Zombie Master shouted sarcastically.

“For your information, Takeo…” Poison Mummy spoke up, announcing his presence from near the door, his deep voice very slow and quiet, “This is how Zombie Master wakes the dead…”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the joke from the normally-quiet monster. “That sounds about right, Poison Mummy,” I responded to the decayed mummy in blue and red bandages who slowly shuffled into the room, his yellow eyes glowing brightly in his bandaged skull. Zombie Master pouted as I pulled myself up and walked past Poison Mummy, wishing that I could have given the Spirit a clap on the back for his wit.

When I entered the kitchen again, I honestly fully expected Katsu-kun to have made a break for it, but he was still there, looking at me with an oddly awestruck expression. I slid into my seat and handed him one of the flimsy paper playmats. He continued to stare as he slowly took it from my hands, his mouth open.

“Better close your mouth…” I joked awkwardly. “You might let a fly in…”

“You can talk to Spirits…” Katsu-kun breathed, leaning closer to me.

“Uh… Yeah… A lot of people can…” I muttered, knowing full well that that was a lie.

“I know!” Katsu-kun responded, nodding enthusiastically. “My cousin sees them, too!”

“That’s…good…?” I responded, somewhat taken aback. That hadn’t been the response that I was expecting.

Katsu nodded excitedly, hurriedly smoothing out the playmat. “So, do you, like, get tips from your cards while you’re Dueling or something?!”

“N-no… I’m pretty sure that’s cheating…” I replied slowly, taking a while to process this situation.

“I _knew_ it! Hideyoshi is _always_ getting help from his monsters!” Katsu-kun responded seriously—an expression that looked out of place on a boy like him.

“Well…tell him he’s not supposed to, then… I mean, you wouldn’t ask another person to help you out…” I told him slowly. Surely, this was obvious, right?

“I know, right?! That’d get you kicked out of a tournament!” Katsu-kun exclaimed, grinning wildly. “Wow, though! I’ve never _properly_ Dueled someone who’s able to see Spirits! You must have a really deep bond with your cards! Does that make them respond to you in the Duel like everybody says?”

“Well, yeah, but they do that with anybody they have respect for,” I responded, shrugging as I set about retrieving my Deck from its Deck holder and shuffling it.

“Really…?” Katsu-kun asked, awestruck. “Even me…?”

“If you believe in them enough, then, sure. They’ll answer,” I told him, placing my Deck down. Realising that he was behind, Katsu-kun hurried to do the same, hastily slamming his Deck down in the designated Deck Zone.

“L-let’s Duel, then!” he stammered nervously, yet not without a lot of excitement. “I’ll do my best.”

I smiled. It felt good to be believed for once, I realised once my thoughts caught up to me. “Right, then,” I responded, drawing my hand.

“Duel!”

**Takeo: 4000/Katsu: 4000**

“I’ll take the first turn, then!” Katsu-kun declared excitedly. “I draw!” He carefully looked over his hand before picking a card. “I activate the Field Spell Burning Blood!” Katsu-kun placed a card down in his Field Spell Zone, the card depicting an erupting volcano sending a plume of smoke and rocks up into an orange sky. “With this Field Spell, all FIRE Attribute monsters gain 500 Attack Points, but in exchange, they lose 400 Defence Points.”

Katsu-kun wasted no time reaching for another card. “Next, I Summon Flamvell Drachnov in Attack Position.”

The card that he placed down depicted a large, shadowed dragon breathing a bright, fiery breath, the true colour of its pointed scales hidden in the darkness, but illuminated a somewhat orange colour in the light of the fire spewing from its mouth and surrounding its clawed hand. From the direction of the card, I heard a tiny, distant roar bleeding through the dimensions.

**Flamvell Drachnov: ATK: 1100/DEF: 200**

“Now, the effect of my Burning Blood Field Spell comes into play. Flamvell Dracknov loses 400 Defence Points, but gains 500 Attack Points,” Katsu-kun declared, tapping his Field Spell to make his point.

**Flamvell Drachnov: ATK: 1600/DEF: 0**

“With that, I end turn,” Katsu-kun finished, already looking at his hand again to see if he’d made any mistakes.

**Takeo: 4000/Katsu: 4000**

I narrowly avoided cringing as I considered the effect of his Burning Blood card. That would surely be troublesome as time went on, provided he started to Summon monsters with higher Attack Points. I would either need to find a way to destroy the card, or switch the position of his monsters.

“Right, then. My turn,” I stated, drawing a card as I considered my options. “I draw.” The plan was a simple one for this turn. I placed the card that I’d just drawn in my hand and picked up another. “I Summon Master Kyonshī,” I declared, placing my familiar monster down.

The card art depicted a zombie in purple robes and a pair of yellow trousers. A long, black braid snaked out from beneath his hat, and a talisman covered his face from view. His skin was a strange blue colour, and his nails were long and claw-like. Just by looking at the pose that he was striking and the curved blade with a tassel on the hilt that was embedded in the ground, it was easy to tell that he was every bit the martial arts master that his name suggested he was.

**Master Kyonshī: ATK: 1750/DEF: 1000**

“I attack your Flamvell Drachnov with my Master Kyonshī,” I stated, and Katsu-kun removed the card from the field as the monster gave out a tiny shriek. Nevertheless, he didn’t look as though he was too disappointed.

**Takeo: 4000/Katsu: 3850**

“Now that you’ve done that, I can activate the effect of my monster. When this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, I can inflict 500 Points of damage to you,” Katsu-kun explained, sounding more excited than ever.

A tiny screeching noise emerged from Katsu-kun’s Graveyard, and I mentally adjusted my Life Points.

**Takeo: 3500/Katsu: 3850**

“I end my turn,” I told Katsu-kun, already feeling somewhat concerned that his Deck was some sort of Burn Deck, but his Field Spell seemed to suggest that he was at least somewhat concerned about the Attack Points of his monsters.

“My turn, then. “I draw!” Katsu-kun responded, drawing a card, and then quickly playing it. “I Summon Flamvell Grunika!”

The monster that had been Summoned was a muscular, bipedal, horned dragon-like creature with black scales and a beige underbelly. From its head and the tip of its tail, long red hair sprouted like fire. Along with a pair of brown trousers and a belt with a large golden buckle, the green-eyed creature also wore a flame-like headpiece beside both of its horns, a pair of spiky red gauntlets, and a pair of black pauldrons with furry red edges, strapped to it with a belt that looped across its chest that also held a plate of golden armour right over its heart. A flame burned brightly in its clawed hand.

**Flamvell Grunika: ATK: 1700/DEF: 200**

“Again, my Field Spell activates. Flamvell Grunika gains 500 Attack Points,” Katsu-kun explained. The card remained silent as its Attack points were boosted.

**Flamvell Grunika: ATK: 2200/DEF: 0**

This time, I couldn’t help but grimace. This was exactly what I’d been dreading. I needed to find a way to destroy that card, and I needed to do it quickly.

“Flamvell Grunika attacks your Master Kyonshī!” Katsu-kun declared, and for the first time in that Duel, a Spirit actually appeared. A tiny Flamvell Grunika, its palm blazing with fire, silently leapt across to my playmat as Master Kyonshī appeared, only to receive a flaming fist to the face, whereupon he disappeared.

**Takeo: 3050/Katsu: 3850**

“Next, I activate Grunika’s effect. When this card destroys your monster in battle and sends it to the Graveyard, I can inflict damage to you equal to the Level of your destroyed monster x 200. Your monster was Level 4, so you take 800 Points of damage!”

A flame shot out from Grunika’s hand, suddenly much larger than before, and struck me in the face. I instinctively recoiled from the damage, narrowly stopping myself from throwing myself backwards. I grasped the table to steady myself, and I looked up at Katsu-kun who was staring at me with a shocked expression.

**Takeo: 2250/Katsu: 3850**

“I-I’m sorry! Did that hurt?!” he hurriedly asked. I brushed my hair out of my eyes and shook my head.

“N-no. It’s OK. A Spirit can’t hurt people like this. It’s just hard to get around having fire thrown in your face, you know?”

Katsu-kun nodded slightly, but looked a lot paler than before. “I-I set one card face-down and end my turn…” he stammered, suddenly seeming more nervous. I smiled slightly at him and he seemed to calm down slightly.

“Right…” I muttered with a sigh, eager to get back on track. “My turn. I draw.” I drew my next card, but for all his wit, Poison Mummy wasn’t overly helpful at that moment, if I was being honest. Nevertheless, it was my only choice and…

I turned, looking up at the old man who had just appeared over my left shoulder, appraising my cards with a distracting, “Hmm…”

“Do you mind?” It was more of a rhetorical question, and the annoyance in my tone was evident. Nevertheless, he didn’t seem to notice.

“Your hand isn’t very good,” he remarked bluntly.

“You’re distracting me. Stop staring,” I continued with a glare.

“Sorry,” was the blunt reply, and he stepped away, not looking in the direction of our Duel, but obviously still listening.

“Are you OK?” Katsu-kun asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah. A certain someone _won’t go away,_ ” I muttered through gritted teeth. Judai hummed a tune as though he wasn’t particularly bothered, and I tried my best to ignore him. Before Katsu-kun could say anything more, I placed a card face-down on the field.

“I place a monster face-down and end my turn,” I hurriedly said, glancing back over my shoulder in the hopes that the now-silent spirit behind me would kindly go away. To his credit, he looked a little sheepish, at the very least.

**Takeo: 2250/Katsu: 3850**

“O-OK, then…” Katsu-kun responded, sounding unsure. “I draw…” He looked at his new card for a moment, and then at his hand before seeming to calm down again. He looked over at me, suddenly looking more confident.

“OK. I attack your face-down monster with Flamvell Grunika!” he ordered as the little monster charged forwards again, sinking into the face-down card of Poison Mummy who appeared with a pained moan before vanishing. I flipped him face-up to show Katsu-kun what he had destroyed.

**Poison Mummy: ATK: 1000/DEF: 1800**

“You destroyed my Poison Mummy,” I informed him, tapping the card’s effect before moving it to the Graveyard. “When Poison Mummy is flipped face-up, I inflict 500 Points of damage to you.”

**Takeo: 2250/Katsu: 3350**

“I also activate the effect of Flamvell Grunika,” Katsu-kun declared, gesturing to his monster. “Again, if it destroys a monster by battle, and that monster is sent to the graveyard, I can inflict damage to you equal to that monster’s Level x 200. That’s another 800 Points of damage to you.”

**Takeo: 1450/Katsu: 3350**

“I end my turn,” Katsu-kun declared, now looking a lot more confident than ever considering my current position.

Taking a deep breath, I drew my next card. “My turn. I draw,” I stated before looking at my new card. I narrowly stopped myself from sighing in relief. “I activate the Quick-Play Spell Reload,” I declared, revealing a card that depicted someone reloading what looked like a stone gun made from a triangular prism and covered in hieroglyphics with a shining stone pyramid of sorts. “This card allows me to shuffle my hand back into my Deck and draw new cards for every card I returned to my Deck.”

Katsu-kun watched carefully as I did as the card instructed, shuffling my cards back into my Deck before drawing a new hand. This one was looking much better. I picked up a card, immediately seeing a way out of my current predicament.

“I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Magic Effect Arrow,” I stated as I revealed the card depicting an arrow, the centre of which was glowing with a bright pink light as sparkles of light trailed behind it. “With this card, I can destroy as many face-up Spell Cards on your field as I can and inflict 500 Points of damage for each destroyed card. The only card on your field right now is Burning Blood, so I’ll destroy it and inflict that damage straight to you!”

Katsu-kun cringed, but nonetheless, he moved his card to the Graveyard, the damage was inflicted, and his monster’s Attack Points returned to normal.

**Flamvell Grunika: ATK: 1700/DEF: 200**

**Takeo: 1450/Katsu: 2850**

“In addition to this, I Summon someone who’s determined to cause me to lose my sanity—Zombie Master!” I stated, definitely feeling a little better about how the Duel was going.

**Zombie Master: ATK: 1800/DEF: 0**

A light-hearted, “Yay!” came from the living room and, at least to my eyes, Zombie Master appeared on the field, standing on his card in a tiny form, and gave me a thumbs-up with a cheeky grin.

“Zombie Master attacks your Flamvell Grunika!” I declared, gesturing towards my card.

With an exclamation of, “Aye, boss!” Zombie Master held out his arms, his hands crackling with a bright energy, and I watched as a tiny zombie appeared in front of him. The little zombie ran towards Flamvell Grunika with surprising speed, and after a brief, silent struggle, both the zombie and Grunika had disappeared.

**Takeo: 1450/Katsu: 2750**

“Eh.” Zombie Master shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. “I’ll make another.”

“Finally, I’ll set one card face-down. Your move,” I told Katsu-kun, gesturing towards him. There was a wide smile on the boy’s face despite the turn that the Duel had taken.

“It’s amazing how one card can turn a whole Duel around, right?” he asked excitedly as he drew a card. “My turn. I draw!”

Katsu-kun’s smile only widened as he revealed the card that he’d just drawn. “I activate the Spell Card Eruption of True Flame!” he declared, showing me a card that depicted three small Flamvell Babies, each one looking cheekier than the next. “With this card, I can Special Summon as many FIRE Attribute monsters from my Graveyard as I can as long as they have 200 Defence Points. Both Drachnov and Grunika fit that description,” he explained, looking through his Graveyard for the two cards, which he then placed back on the field. “I Special Summon Flamvell Drachnov and Grunika. Then, I’ll Release Drachnov,” he continued, promptly removing it from the field once more. “With that done, I Summon Flamvell Deathgunner in Attack Position!”

**Flamvell Deathgunner: ATK: 2200/DEF: 200**

I looked over at the card. It depicted a tall, strong-looking man with flaming hair and spiked red armour, more silver armour covering his legs and the bottom of his blue trousers. In his hands was a strange gun pulsating with fiery power. The monster in question, however, did not appear. “Flamvell Deathgunner attacks Zombie Master!” Katsu-kun declared, tapping his card as if to drive the point home.

“I activate my Trap Card, Emissaries of Reconciliation.” I reached for my face-down card, flipping it over to reveal a card depicting three identical women in blue cloaks, the woman at the forefront holding a strange little golden artefact with a blue gemstone in the centre, and what looked like little purple fins, or maybe even wings. They appeared on the field, chanting something in a strange language that I didn’t understand, and just like that, a small, shimmering barrier, glowing with a soft golden light, stretched itself around Zombie Master, who gave a relieved, yet theatrical sigh. “Emissaries of Reconciliation negates all damage and protects my monsters until the end of the turn.”

Katsu-kun pouted, leaning back in his chair. He evidently thought that he could have whittled my Life Points down by a decent amount with that. Nevertheless, he wasn’t done yet. Once again, he tapped Deathgunner, and then gestured to the Graveyard.

“I activate my Deathgunner’s effect. By removing one monster with 200 Defence Points in my Graveyard from play, I can inflict the Attack Points of the monster that I removed to you as damage. I choose to remove Flamvell Drachnov!” Almost as soon as the card was picked up, a stream of fire erupted from Katsu-kun’s Graveyard, striking me in the face. I yelped and launched myself backwards, toppling to the floor as my Life Points dropped. Katsu-kun squawked with shock, jumping out of his and Zombie Master began to cackle at the hilarity of it all. Before I could even begin to push myself up again, I felt a hand grip my arms, pulling me into a sitting position.

**Takeo: 350/Katsu: 2750**

“Uh…” I grunted. “Why do all your monsters keep hitting me in the face…?”

“I-I’m sorry!” Katsu-kun stammered, eyes wide as I rubbed my head to ease the dull throbbing. “A-are you hurt? Should we stop?!”

“No… This happens all the time…” I grumbled, pulling myself to my feet and setting the chair back to its proper position.

“Are you OK?” I heard Judai ask from somewhere behind me.

“Yeah,” I said, sitting back down on the chair as Katsu-kun took his place across from me once again. “I didn’t hurt myself.”

“It was _hilarious_ though,” Zombie Master chimed in with a grin, doing a little twirl on top of his card.

I glanced at my hand. “Let’s see if you find this funny,” I said bluntly as Katsu-kun took a deep breath.

“Right, then…” he muttered, looking somewhat shaken. I couldn’t help but feel bad. “I end my turn…”

**Takeo: 350/Katsu: 2750**

“My turn,” I started, giving my head a final rub, willing the last of the pain from the fall to fade away, and picked up a card from my Deck. “I draw.

I took a look at the card. Despite how I had been backed into a corner, my luck was looking up. I placed the card that I had just drawn—a Magic Card depicting a barren planet floating in space, life pulsing out of a spreading circle of lush green forests and deep blue oceans—onto the field.

“I activate the Magic Card Terraforming,” I said, reaching for my Deck. “With this card, I can add one Field Magic Card to my hand.” I picked up my Deck, rifling through it until I found the card that I wanted. Setting it to the side, I shuffled my Deck, put it back, and then picked up my hand once again. After placing Terraforming in the Graveyard, I played the card that I had just added to my hand. “I activate the Field Magic Undead World.”

The card that I played depicted a strange, gruesome world that the average person would see in their worst nightmares. Skulls were piled up one on top of the other surrounding a blood red lake, various monsters and spirits crawling or floating over the bones. An odd purple mist permeated through the dead trees, their bark so gnarled that it looked like inhuman faces in places. To my eyes only, the mist drifted up from the card, swirling across the playmat and enshrouding Zombie Master who seemed to be more than happy with this development.

“Ah…” Zombie Master sighed, breathing deeply. “Feels like home…”

“Not for long,” I muttered, wishing that I could give his little incorporeal form a little flick in the back of the head. “Regardless, when card is active on the field, all monsters on the field and in our Graveyards become Zombie monsters. Also, neither of us can perform Advance Summons unless the monster that we are summoning is a Zombie.”

At that, Katsu-kun became alert, visibly gritting his teeth. He glanced nervously at his hand. I wondered if he had perhaps had a plan that this card had just thwarted. All the better for me, I decided as I reached for Zombie Master who gave a groan of annoyance as my hand approached him.

“Aw… You only just played Undead World… Give me a break…” he moaned, sighing with annoyance as I placed his card in the Graveyard.

“I Release Zombie Master to Advance Summon Red-Eyes Undead Dragon in Attack Position!” I declared as I placed my partner down on the field. At first, there was no reaction from the card, allowing Zombie Master the opportunity to wander off the field. The tiny Duel Spirit leapt off the table, increasing to his full size before he had even hit the floor. As he wandered off into the house, a noise—a low, rumbling growl—emitted from the card that I had just Summoned. I turned back to the field just one of the eyes of the decaying black dragon on the card began to light up with a red light, the red markings on its wings following suit. A strange, ghostly blue mist mixed with an unearthly blue fire slowly began to roll off the card as the dragon depicted on it slowly rose up as a tiny spirit. It gave another growl, and despite knowing that it should have been unintelligible to the average person, I understood.

_“For you, old friend, I will fight as I always have.”_

**Red-Eyes Undead Dragon: ATK: 2400/DEF: 2000**

I couldn’t help the smile that broke out across my face as I nodded my thanks to the tiny dragon on the card, and when it immediately turned around to face Katsu-kun, I knew that he had understood as always.

“Red-Eyes has been with me ever since I was a child,” I found myself explaining, regarding the dragon with a fond expression. “Rather than me finding him, it was him who found me. We’ve spent a long time working together. This is what’s come of it. Red-Eyes, attack his Deathgunner! Breath of the Undead!”

Perhaps, I realised a little too late, calling out the name of the attack might have been a little bewildering for one who couldn’t actually see what was going on. Despite the Deathgunner not actually standing on the card, that didn’t stop Red-Eyes from breathing its fiery, acidic blue breath across the field, poisonous gas rolling off it in plumes. Katsu-kun took a deep breath after a few moments and removed the card from the field.

**Takeo: 350/Katsu: 2550**

“Now, I activate the effect of my Red-Eyes,” I said, gesturing at the card. “When this card destroys an opponent’s monster in battle, and that monster happens to be a Zombie, I can chose to Special Summon that card from the Graveyard.”

Strangely enough, I had assumed that Katsu-kun would have been horrified by the idea of handing his favourite card over when I held my hand out for the card without another word, but that wasn’t the case. Jaw dropping in awe, Katsu-kun wordlessly held the card out, allowing me to take it without further issue. I placed the card on the field, and this time, there was a reaction. Up rose Deathgunner, skin unnaturally pale and eyes bright red, his body swaying in the mist.

“Deathgunner attacks Grunika,” I declared, pointing at the card on Katsu-kun’s field. Suddenly brought back to reality, the smaller boy bit his lip while, to my eyes, Deathgunner began its attack. Its swaying stopped and it stood stiffly, almost like a puppet whose strings had been pulled taut. Suddenly, the undead monster lunged forwards with surprising speed, letting his gun fall to the ground, forgotten. Katsu-kun placed the card in the Graveyard without complaint.

“I end my turn,” I finished, leaning forwards slightly, interested to see if Katsu-kun could deal with it.

**Takeo: 350/Katsu: 1450**

“M-my turn… I draw…” Katsu-kun said, shakily drawing a card from the top of his Deck. He looked from his hand, to the field, to my hand, then back at his own and sighed, but I couldn’t tell the context. Leaning back, Katsu-placed his hand face-down on the table.

“I end my turn,” he told me with an air of disappointment.

**Takeo: 350/Katsu: 1450**

Slowly, I drew a card that had little consequence. “Really? Are you sure?” I asked, despite it having been too late for him to take it back.

“Well, I mean, I _had_ and strategy…and then your Undead World put a stop to that…” he admitted sheepishly. I grinned nervously.

“I’d apologise, but it was a fair play…” I chuckled awkwardly.

“Oh, absolutely,” Katsu-kun told me as I tapped my Red-Eyes, signalling that it was to attack. Before the attack was even finished, Katsu-kun was already putting away his cards. “It was a brilliant play. I just can’t believe how my hand was completely disabled by it. Gosh, that’s embarrassing…”

“Oh, well…” I started, trying to sound consoling in some way. “That’s just the way it happens, I guess. I had a bad hand earlier, too.”

**Takeo: 350/Katsu: 0**

**WINNER: Takeo**

* * *

I wasn’t sure how to feel about how everything happened. Shortly after the Duel, Katsu-kun had gone home for dinner, and that was that. I was alone in the house again, with the exception of the Duel Spirits and the old man who followed me wherever I went. It was strange to have suddenly been thrusted from a world with living humans back into the familiar world of spirits and the dead. It had been even stranger to find my usual life strange all of a sudden.

Then, my dad, true to his word, had put me to work right after dinner, if work was what you could call it. My dad was very clear on a few matters, the main one being that I was not to have anything to do with the cleaning and maintaining of the shrine. Despite how young and rebellious he felt I was, he held me up on a pedestal, and so, I shut myself in the shrine as instructed, meditating for reasons only my father seemed to understand, my own Deck left behind in my room, the Ｅ・ＨＥＲＯ’s and Neo-Spacians watching on with something like pity in their eyes until my father returned for me later in the evening.

I had found myself in bed that night, mulling over the conversations from before, bits and pieces sticking out in my mind. I had long since made up my mind to ask about what Katsu-kun had said, once I had managed to get a moment to myself. I looked around the room, seeing no one.

“Judai?” I called out through the darkness, my voice wavering slightly with uncertainty.

The response was immediate. “You should be trying to sleep.”

“I know that, but I have a question,” I persisted.

“And what would that be?” Judai asked with something like an exasperated sigh.

“What are we?”

The simple question drew nothing but silence. Finally, Judai hummed in thought, and I rolled over onto my side to face him as he appeared next to me, sitting on my bed. There was silence for a few more moments, and Judai continued to frown in thought.

“I guess…I’d say that’s a difficult question to answer…” Judai finally admitted. “I doubt you’d understand it if I explained it, and that’s nothing to do with your age or experience. It’s just a difficult concept to wrap your head around without memories for context. The best I could say is…we’re an entity.”

“What kind of entity?”

“A dark entity. An entity of life.”

I frowned. “So…we’re not some kind of demon, then…?”

“Is this about what your friend said earlier?” Judai asked, smiling softly. I pulled my sheets up a little higher to hide my face from view as I felt it turn red.

“Maybe a little…” I admitted, staring up at him.

“No,” Judai assured me. “We’re not demons. When we first came into existence, demons weren’t even a concept.”

“Oh… That’s good, right…?” I asked hesitantly

“Hm… Well, it’s not bad, anyway…” Judai reached out to put a cold hand on the top of my head. I shuddered as the temperature dropped, but I didn’t move. “Does that put your mind at ease?”

“Well…as long as we’re not bad, right?” I could almost hear the pleading tone in my own voice.

Judai smiled an uneasy smile and gave my head a pat. “Yes, that’s right,” he finally answered after a silence that seemed far too long. “You’re your own person. What you become is up to you, and I trust you, kiddo.” There were a few seconds of awkward silence before Judai spoke again. “Now, you have class tomorrow. Go to sleep.”

“’Kay…” I muttered, feeling too tired to argue.

Judai disappeared into the darkness, as though he had never been there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> Flamvell Deathgunner = Flamvell Commando.
> 
> Yūgure = Dusk.
> 
> Featherman = Elemental Hero Avian.
> 
> Burst Lady = Elemental Hero Burstinatrix.
> 
> Burning Blood = Molten Destruction.
> 
> Flamvell Drachnov = Flamvell Dragnov
> 
> Magic-Effect Arrow = Spell Shattering Arrow
> 
> Eruption of True Flame = Rekindling
> 
> Emissaries of Reconciliation = Waboku
> 
> Undead World = Zombie World
> 
> Red-Eyes Undead Dragon = Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon 
> 
> Also, please keep in mind that the type of roof and tiles are irimoya and kawara-yane.
> 
> Irimoya = A type of East Asian hip-and-gable roof that’s normally seen on shrines, temples, monasteries, etc.
> 
> Kawara-yane = A type of traditional Japanese roof that uses baked clay tiles, although other materials have been used in recent times.


End file.
